The Game of All Hallow's Eve
by Exagie
Summary: When Alice ignores the warnings the Jokers have given her about a mysterious spade key she'd found at a thrift store, she soon finds herself facing the role holders… as monsters! Can she break this spell before the end of All Hallow's Eve?
1. One Two, Jokers Coming For You

**The Game of All Hallow's Eve**

_When Alice ignores the warnings the Jokers have given her about a mysterious spade key she'd found at a thrift store, she soon finds herself facing the role holders… as monsters! Can she break this spell before the end of All Hallow's Eve?_

**1. One Two, Jokers Coming For You**

Colored leaves crunched noisily beneath her feet as Alice Liddell stepped out of the winter barrier that belonged to Clover Tower and headed towards the town nearby Hatter Territory. It was fall for the mafia, and Alice felt herself smiling at the beautiful scenery of the autumn weather.

The town wasn't busy, nor was it empty, but more of a mixture inbetween. Faceless citizens walked about in stories, purchasing their necessities and leaving for home. Alice was on her way to the Hatter's to borrow some of Blood's books; at least, that was what she thought, until she happened to pass by a small thrift store on her left.

Pausing, the brunette glanced in the window, suddenly mesmerized by the small articles of clothing and little knickknacks on display. Checking her coin purse, Alice smiled, stepping into the store.

_I should have enough for something. _she thought to herself pleasantly, her blue orbs straying about the store. Several glass figurines sat on wooden tables and pretty gowns hung on wire hangers. However, it wasn't long before she spotted something shining out of the corner of her eye.

Curious, the brunette leaned down, examining the metal. It was… a key? Yes, indeed, it was a blue key. Its metal was a tad rusted, and the head of a spade rested on the top.

"What a strange key." Alice thought to herself out loud, picking up the item and standing upright. She twirled the item in her hands, watching the dim lamps' light dance along the metal. "I wonder what it goes to…"

"Miss, can I help you?"

Startled, Alice spun around abruptly, her blue eyes wide. She quickly calmed down once she realized it was just a faceless cashier. Smiling her politest, she nodded, "Yes. I was wondering what this key goes to."

The cashier took the metal item carefully from the foreigner, examining it in confusion. Frowning, she replied, "I'm… not sure. I've never seen this here before. Where did you find this?"

Alice pointed at the floor. "Right here, actually. It looked pretty nice…"

The faceless smiled, dropping the key into the girl's palm. "Well, I suppose since it doesn't belong here, you can have it."

The teen's eyebrows raised. "Really? Are you sure it doesn't go to anything? I wouldn't want to take it and have it belong to something…"

"No, I'm sure we've never sold anything like that." The faceless insisted with a quick nod. "If you like it, you can have it."

Alice smiled broadly, nodding once. "Thank you very much!" With that, the teen walked out of the store, twirling the key in her hands; mesmerized by it.

_I wonder what it goes to…_ she thought to herself, examining the piece. _Maybe it's a skeleton key…? That'd be a pretty dangerous thing to have around… I should keep it with me for safes keeping…_

With all her thinking, Alice hadn't noticed she'd stumbled into Joker forest, and was currently being watched by a certain ruby-eyed man in a jingly hat.

"Hello." The voice startled the brunette, and she quickly stumbled backwards, falling onto the dirt ground. Her head shot upward to Joker, an amused expression on his face. She sighed.

"Sorry, did I frighten you?" Joker half-apologized, reaching a hand out towards the girl. Alice took it hesitantly, allowing him to help her to her feet.

"_Good. Scare the s*** out of her."_ the small mask on Joker's belt snapped, and the brunette glared at it. _"Better yet, send her to the prison. I'll have my own f****** way with her."_

"Nice to see you, too, Black-san." Alice muttered, annoyed with it.

"_Can't same the same, w****."_the mask replied, and Alice's eye twitched. Sighing an irritated sigh, Joker placed a hand over the mask to muffle any oncoming words that threatened the foreigner.

"I apologize for Black." Joker said kindly, an almost pleasant smile lighting his face. She opened her mouth to reply, but the redhead spotted the key in her hands and raised an eyebrow. "What's that you have there, Alice?"

Alice returned her attention to the blue key in her hands, twirling it between her fingers. "A key. I found it at the thrift store… I can't figure out what it goes to, though."

"May I see?" White Joker asked, holding out his hand; releasing Black's mouth. Alice nodded, dropping it into his palm. The jester-like Joker examined it carefully, his expression quickly turning stern.

"What's wrong?" Alice asked, surprised by the sudden silence from both Jokers.

"Is this what I think…?" Joker asked, more to himself than to Alice.

"_F****** looks like it."_the mask replied.

"But how…?" Joker started intently at the blue metal between his fingers; almost glaring at it.

"_Weren't those damn things destroyed?" _Black asked; annoyed. Joker nodded.

"So how…?" The redhead didn't seem to be able to wrap his head around the key; confusion and concern broad across his face.

"What are you talking about? What's wrong with it?" Alice demanded, placing her hands on her hips in irritation. Joker turned to her; a sullen expression on his face.

"Take this back. Wherever you found it, take it back." The redhead demanded, pressing the key firmly in her palms. "Take it back and don't touch it again."

"Why? What's wrong with it?" Alice demanded, clutching the key tightly in her hands. What were they going on about? What was wrong with the key?

"_Just listen to what the f*** he told you, f****** ingrate." _The mask spat at her, his tone deadly and serious.

"But _why!_ Why won't you tell me what's wrong with it?" Alice cried, her hands balled into fists at her side; the spade threatening to cut her palm.

"Listen carefully, Alice." Joker warned, his face suddenly inches from hers; a deadly glint in his eyes. Alice blushed, prepared to move backwards, but for some reason the look he was giving her held her in place. "You mustn't speak about this to anyone. You cannot show this key to another role holder, and you can't tell anyone else about it. Hide it- lock it up- and pretend you never found it. Understood?" "B-but… Why? What will happen?" Alice objected, suddenly worried.

"A new game begins." His voice was so calm yet so cold… It sent shivers down her spine.

"B-but aren't you two role holders?" she argued, frowning at him.

"_F****** bitch has a point." _Black pointed out, and Joker stood upright, taking a few steps backwards.

"Then you'll have 'till dawn until the game starts." Joker stated, his voice almost threatening. "Good luck, Alice."

"Wait! What game? What's going to happen to me?" she cried, watching as Joker began to float away.

"You'll just have to wait and see, won't you?" he called over his shoulder, disappearing into the forest. Once he was out of sight, Alice felt like her heart had dropped along with her stomach.

_What's going to happen to me? _she thought, her legs beginning to shake as she attempted to walk back to the tower. _Why was he so… upset? I have until dawn… Dawn until what? What's going to happen?_

* * *

"Hey, Alice, I thought you were going to the Hatter's."

Alice didn't pay much attention to the owner of the voice and continued through the tower, heading upstairs.

"Alice?" This time, Nightmare caught her attention, and the brunette slowly turned her head to face him. She didn't reply; merely stared at him, and he at her.

Suddenly, he paled, having read her thoughts.

"Do you know what it means?" she asked, already knowing he'd read her mind. This time, though, she wasn't sure if she minded it or not. She just wanted to know what was going on.

Nightmare didn't respond. Instead, he faked a smile and said, "It's nothing."

"Nightmare…" Her tone was exhausted from worry, and sounded almost heartbroken. Nightmare frowned unhappily.

"Do you want me to sleep in your room? I can keep the bad dreams away." he offered, but Alice shook her head, sighing.

"No thanks. I know where you are if I need you." she mumbled, turning back up the stairs and making her way to her bedroom.

Everything from that point seemed to happen in slow motion. She changed into her night dress, brushed her hair, washed her face, brushed her teeth, and crawled into bed, waiting for the nighttime to pull her into slumber. It seemed to take hours, but eventually, she was soft asleep in her bed, and whatever awaited her in the morning would just have to be handled when she awoke.

**

* * *

**

WOOT! Chapter one is done~! I'm big on Halloween, so I

_**needed**_** to write a Halloween story for the Wonderland characters! It probably won't end until **_**after**_** Halloween, but that's fine with me. I hope you enjoy so far!**


	2. Nightmare, The Friendly Ghost

**2. Nightmare, The Friendly Ghost**

Loud, abrasive snoring awoke the young brunette, and Alice found herself smashing her ears between her pillow roughly in an attempt to block out the noise. The snores snuck their way through the cotton fibers though, and she should have known it wouldn't be long before she threw her pillow over and snapped her head in the direction of her intruder.

Though, she wasn't expecting to enter a state of horror.

Ear-piercing, blood-curdling screams erupted from the girl's throat, quickly awaking the incubus at her side. Though, it wasn't the dream demon's presence that frightened her- she was actually growing used to men crawling in her bed despite her protests, as horrible as that sounded- but the translucent state he was in. She could _see_ him there, but she could also see _through_ him. Nightmare seemed to carry a blue tint around him, and his body appeared like a mist.

"Huh? What?" Nightmare said aloud amidst the confusion, his body falling _through_ her bed. Frightened, he stood up in the middle of her bed, looking around for the source of the screaming; his one gray eye landing on Alice. "Oh! Alice. Why so pale? You look like you've seen a ghost."

With a shaky finger, Alice pointed at her dresser mirror. "L-look!"

Doing as told despite his own confusion, Nightmare turned his head towards the reflection; his eyes quickly widening in horror as he took in the site of himself standing in the _middle_ of her bed instead of sitting on it.

"B-but? H-how…?" he cried, unable to make sense of it. "Why am I a _ghost?_"

"I-I don't know!" Alice shouted, terrified as Nightmare huffed in annoyance at his reflection.

"Really! You'd think I'd be something cooler… Like a vampire or a zombie." the incubus pouted, surprising the teen. Is _that_ what he was worried about?

"What are you _talking_ about?" she cried, staring at him in shock. "Y-you're a ghost! Why are you a ghost?"

_Wait… White-san said I had until dawn… _Alice glanced at her window, paling as the sunlight poured against her face. _A game was going to start… Does that mean _everyone _are ghosts…?_

"No." Nightmare answered her, much to her annoyance. Would he _ever_ stop reading her mind? "Just me, as far as I know. I wasn't here for the last game… though, I've heard a lot about it."

"Then what do you know?" Alice demanded, sighing in relief. At least she'd _finally_ get some answers.

"Well, first off, it's the game of All Hallow's Eve!" Nightmare exclaimed, a wide grin spreading across his face; almost like that of a young child's.

"You mean Halloween?" Alice questioned, tilting her head to the side. Nightmare shrugged.

"Either or. It really doesn't matter- it's the same both ways. Roleholders turn into monsters, and the season changes to autumn." He explained.

"Wait- _monsters?_ Like, werewolves and… ghosts?" Alice questioned, her face growing ten shades whiter as she viewed over her translucent friend. Nightmare nodded, not the slightest bit worried.

"Yes. But it's much more than just turning into a monster." He explained in a matter-o-fact tone. "It's a game of lust and death."

"L-lust and…death?" Alice questioned the words, unable to wrap her head around them. Nightmare nodded once again, his silver hair bobbing.

"Some will want you for lust, others for death. Nothing else." he replied. "They won't be able to control themselves; so don't take it personally."

_Don't take it _personally? _So this whole country of guys are either going to try to seduce me or kill me, and I'm not supposed to take it _personally? _That's like throwing me to a pile of sharks and saying a quick "sorry!" _Alice thought angrily, her hands balled into tight fists at her sides.

"Well do you really think it's their _fault?_" Nightmare questioned, once again reading her mind. "It's just a part of the game- they can't help what they say and do. That's just how it'll be."

"So what do _you_ want? Lust or death?" Alice asked suspiciously, cautiously climbing off of her bed and taking a few steps back. Nightmare blinked innocently, then grinned.

"Lust, of course! I would never want to kill you!" he exclaimed, and Alice's eyes widened with slight fear.

"W-WHAT?" she cried, unable to move farther from him; her back was already pressed tightly against the glass window behind her. "You… You better not try anything! So help me, I'll send you straight to the hospital, Nightmare!"

"Now, now, Alice. I told you- it's not my fault." he said, though the wicked grin spread across his face didn't help his situation. Suddenly, a strong, unseen force began to pull at Alice's legs, forcing her to walk toward him.

"Wha-? Nightmare, stop it!" she cried, unable to move. Fear spiked up her spine as it threw her onto the bed. She could tell the glint in his eyes didn't belong to him, but the ghostly demon that possessed her dear friend.

"I'm really, _really_ sorry, Alice." he apologized, and voice almost sounded sincere if it weren't for his ghost form floating above her; almost as if to pin her in place with thin air. "Please forgive me…"

"No! Let me go! Nightmare! Stop!" Alice cried, struggling to break free from the unseen force that held her down. The ghostly incubus leaned over to press his lips against hers, but the slam of a door interrupted them, and their heads snapped to the guest.

"J-Julius!" she cried, both horrified and relieved to see him. Relieved, because he'd just saved her from the lord of Clover Tower. Horrified, because his skin was a pale shade of blue, and a few red gashes and cuts were strewn across his body; trickles of red liquid seeping into his dark clothing. There was no doubt in her mind; he was a zombie. Yet, he still looked so handsome… how was that possible?

"Nightmare." Julius' tone was deadly, his navy eyes locked on the incubus. Nightmare glared in return, letting his guard down and allowing Alice to jump right through him, dashing towards her zombie friend.

"Julius! Thank you so, so much!" she cried, hugging him around his waist tightly.

"But Alice, didn't I warn you…?" Nightmare sang, and Alice looked up to see a glint in Julius' eyes as well.

"J-Julius…?" she stammered, taking a step back as if preparing to run. However, the mortician was faster, and slammed his arms against the wooden doorway, locking her in.

"I'm sorry, Alice. I don't know what's happening…" Julius apologized, and deep inside, she could see that he was screaming at himself to let go. However, the zombie that took over her friend wouldn't allow it, and forced a lustful look in his eye; his blue lips leaning towards her.

"I'm sorry, Julius!" Alice cried, quickly ducking out from underneath him and dashing down the hall, her legs numb yet carrying her all the way.

"Alice-?" She heard Gray say as she zoomed past him, but didn't hesitate long enough to find out what'd he'd become. The teen was out of the tower without a first glance, and rushing down dirt paths and cobblestone streets for a place to go. As she was running, she realized Nightmare was right; the seasons did indeed change to autumn in every territory.

_I need to fix this. I need to find a way out! _she thought, panic-stricken as her blue eyes scanned one area to another, wishing she'd find somebody normal to turn to. _They either want lust or death… How can I convince one of them to help me?_

Panting, Alice paused inside the maze of Heart Castle; catching her breath.

"I need to fix this." she said to herself, pressing a hand against her sweating forehead. "I need to… The key. Where's the key?" Quickly, Alice reached down for her apron pocket, only to realize- much to her embarrassment- that she was still in her night dress.

"Oh no." she panicked, searching herself; as if she'd find it hidden somewhere. "No, no, no! It has to be here! I couldn't have left it there… Crap!" She collapsed to her knees, smacking her head backwards into the greenery behind her. "Damn it…"

"Hey, that's not very ladylike."

Alice's head snapped up at the sudden voice, and her eyes met with the crimson pair of Ace's. He didn't seem to have changed _too_ much, though his wardrobe held a deadly vibe. A tattered black cloak hung over him; a hood disguising his brown locks of hair. A long, metal scythe was held out at his side, and gray gloves covered his hands. He looked like Death himself.

"A-Ace!" she cried, slightly relieved to find him, but also panicking. She had mixed feelings for the guy; she never knew if he wanted her in bed or wanted her dead… or both.

"I guess a new game started, huh?" the knight assumed, his eyes dancing. "Should've known it'd come sooner or later. I just didn't think it would happen so soon."

"A-Ace… What are you doing with that?" Alice asked, watching the man swing around his scythe playfully.

"This?" He held up the weapon, laughing once. "Nothing, really. Just debating."

"Debating what?" she questioned, suddenly getting an eerie feeling in the pit of her stomach. Maybe coming here was a bad idea…

"Whether to kill you or not." His words were playful, but the meaning behind them sent her heart hammering in her chest.

"K-kill!" she cried, quickly scooting backwards, only to realize she was trapped behind the maze.

"Yup!" he replied, grinning goofily; that all too happy smile that crept her out on more than one occasion. "But looking at you in that nightgown… I might just put it off so I can _play_ first."

"Play." she said the word bluntly, heat rising up to her cheeks. She wasn't sure whether to be happy that he was taking his time debating and giving her the moments she needed for escape, or be horrified of his thoughts for her.

Ace nodded, still pleased as he kneeled down to her height, leaning over her. His eyes grew lustful like they had in the tent so many weeks ago, and that creepy grin never left his face. She felt sick; sick to her stomach, though she knew her fear wouldn't help the situation on her end. It just made him more amused.

"Play time, Alice."

**

* * *

**

Ooh, cliffhanger. XD Ace was originally supposed to be a mummy, but I decided Death suited him better. Like Nightmare's, choice? ;D He is the "Casper of Incubuses" XD I'm actually having trouble on a few roles, though. I'm not sure what to make Gray or Gowland. =/ Suggestions are welcome! :3


	3. I Want My Mummy!

**3. I Want My Mummy!**

Ace nearly closed the distance between the two; his lips hovering not even inches from hers. Alice's blue eyes were wide with fear as he leaned in closer, but a sudden voice startled her and annoyed the man threatening to steal a kiss from the foreigner.

"By my dear Alice is not your place, so leave at once, Ace!" a certain-rabbit eared man shouted from behind; his pistol pointed directly at the knight's head. "Remove your filthy mitts, and quit your disgusting tricks!"

Much to Alice's surprise, Peter White was covered in white bandages that appeared to be holding him together, and his exposed face looked like it had been hit by a sandstorm; small brown particles stuck to his cheeks and around his neck. It took her a moment, but she soon realized what monster he was.

"Hmph. So what are you, Peter? A rabbit or a mummy?" Ace asked snidely, pulling himself a little from Alice to raise an eyebrow at the man. Of course, what he didn't realize was that he'd given just enough room for Alice to escape.

Taking the first chance she got, the brunette dove out from under the man and rushed toward the exit of the maze, calling over her shoulder, "Thank you, Peter!" "Alice, come back!" she heard Ace call from behind, quickly running after her. It wasn't hard to guess Peter was right behind him. Alice didn't hesitate, though; instead, she dove into the bushes of the maze, waiting quietly for the two to pass.

"Huh? I swear she was right here…" Ace murmured, pausing at the outsider's former spot. Alice held her breath; watching the two men with wide eyes.

_Please don't let them find me. _she thought; panicked. _Don't let them find me, don't let them find me…_

"You idiotic knight!" Peter shouted angrily, punching the man angrily in the arm- almost losing his own in the process. "You scared my precious Alice out of sight!"

Ace shrugged. "She couldn't have gotten far." he assured the mummified rabbit, pressing his fingers to his chin thoughtfully. "Hmm… Let's try this way." He pointed with a gloved finger in the complete opposite direction of the teen. Peter glared.

"Why should I follow you?" he deadpanned, glaring at the knight. "You're most likely to get us lost."

"Aww, come on! Have some faith in me, Peter." Ace insisted, already walking in his own direction. Peter huffed, but reluctantly followed behind.

Once the men were out of sight, Alice allowed herself to inhale a large intake of air before climbing out of the bushes on the other side, quickly swerving left and right until she was safely away from Heart Castle.

_Okay. Heart Castle was a bad idea. I should've known something like that was bound to happen._ she thought, making her way into town and pausing at what was supposed to be the border line between territories; however, since all seasons were at autumn now, it was kind of hard to tell.

She glanced briefly at the way to the Hatter mansion and immediately shook her head. _Not in a _million _years. I'm definitely asking for death there. _Cautiously, she glanced between the Amusement Park and Joker Forest. _These are my only options, I guess… I don't think Boris or Gowland would do anything to me… Then again, I thought the same for Julius. _Frowning, she glanced between the two territories in worry, finally sighing and making her way into Joker Forest. _I need to ask him some stuff about this anyways- like how to make this game end! He obviously knows what's going on, and if he doesn't tell me, I'll murder him myself!_

As she continued to stride bravely into the forest, Alice felt herself beginning to slow; her stomach aching with weariness.

_All the role holders became monsters. _she reminded herself, slowing her pace until she came to an utter stop. _So… if the Clock Tower has monsters, and Heart Castle has monsters… that means…_

"Hey, bitch!"

Alice jumped at the sudden voice, quickly spinning around to face… Black Joker? Sure enough, there floated Black-san; dressed up in his usual prison guard uniform and a darkly amused expression on his face.

"B-black-san?" Alice questioned, confused. How was he out in the forest? Wasn't he only able to come out from the mask in his prison? "How…?"

"_It appears the true monster here is myself."_ the mask on Black-san's belt said, and Alice stared at it in confusion.

"White-san…?" she asked, tilting her head to the side.

"Shut the f*** up and get back inside." Black Joker growled, covering the mask's mouth with his hand. "Hmph. Look whose silent now, you ass."

White Joker spoke a few words beneath his hand, but they came out muffled.

"Wait! So, all you did was switch places?" Alice asked, his eyes lightening up eagerly. Black Joker looked at her like she was crazy.

"What the f*** does it look like?" he snapped, and Alice flinched slightly, though her excited look never left her face.

"So you aren't going to try to rape me or kill me, right?" she demanded, staring up at him eagerly, awaiting his answer.

"No more than usual you f****** slut." Alice didn't bother to flinch at his words, just grinned widely in delight.

_Perfect!_ she thought excitedly. _He's still the same old Joker! He can help me!_

"_Don't forget which Joker you're speaking to, Alice."_ White-san warned from his twin's belt, already following where her mind was going. "_There's no guarantee he'll help you."_

"Help her with what?" Black-san demanded, glaring coldly at the foreigner. Alice's expression grew serious, and her eyes seemed to be boring into his.

"I want to turn things back to normal. _Before _everyone became monsters!" she exclaimed, her hands balled into fists at her sides.

"Tch! And give this up so easily? In your f****** dreams. I don't get out of that damn mask enough; I want to enjoy this!" Black-san snapped, and Alice frowned. He had a point there; the only other place he was allowed out was at the prison. Otherwise he was trapped in that mask, forced to share a body with his twin. However, perhaps that was for the better.

"Please, Black-san. I really need your help." she begged, her eyes almost worried. "I want things to go back to normal!"

"And why the f*** should I help you?" Black-san demanded, glaring coldly with his single ruby eye at the outsider, his arms crossed firmly in front of his chest.

"I…" Alice paused, unsure. Why _should_ he help her? Could she really come up with a reason? Desperate and not thinking, she quickly said, "I'll do anything! Just help me, please!"

A smirk spread across Black-san's face, and he leaned forward; his face inches from the foreigner's. "Anything, did you say?"

Blushing, Alice took a step back; her face displaying signs of caution and nervousness. "Yes. Anything." _Crap! Why did I say that? He's going to use this against me, I know it._

"_She _did _say anything._" the mask pointed out to the current Joker at hand, as if reading his thoughts, and Black-san grinned mischievously, nodding.

"Fine, then. I'll help you… but I can get anything I want in return." Black-san said, tilting her chin upwards to meet the evil glint in his eye. Alice blushed, taking an abrupt step backwards.

"Within reason, of course!" she exclaimed, flustered. Black Joker shook his head.

"You said anything." he pointed out, and Alice groaned, averting her eyes from his devilish expression.

"Fine. Just help me get out of this." she mumbled, crossing her arms firmly in front of her chest.

"F****** ingrate." he insulted, and Alice glared at him briefly. Maybe getting _his_ help wasn't her smartest move, but who else could she go to?

**

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**

Chapter three is done~! Black-san helping Alice? Oh, no, this won't backfire for her at

_**all**_**. [LIES]**

**Anyways, as for Black-san taking over White-san's place as a monster, have you ever heard the phrase, "The worst kind of monster is yourself"? I'm pretty sure that's it… something among those lines. Anyways, it popped in my head when thinking of monsters for White-san, and I thought it just might fit. 8D I hope I'm getting all the personalities right here… I don't know the Jokers too well, and they're a big part of this story, so I'm hoping that I'm getting their personalities straight. If I suck at it, please tell me. ^w^;;**


	4. Oh Look, Freddy and Jason Came to Help

**4. Oh Look, Freddy and Jason Came to Help**

Alice sat in annoyance against the cold stone walls of Black-san's prison, her arms wrapped tightly around her torso; it was so _cold_ in here. She didn't remember his prison being this cold before; then again, last time she wasn't here in her night dress.

White Joker and Black Joker sat across from her; a look of irritation on Black's face while White smiled kindly.

"So bitch, where's the key?" Black demanded, his ruby eye glaring coldly into the foreigner. Alice sighed, frowning.

"I don't have it." she answered blankly.

"What? ! Why the f*** not? !" Black Joker demanded, furious. "Where the f*** is it? !"

"I left it at the tower!" Alice explained, frowning angrily at him. "It's on my dresser!"

"S***. Stupid f*** up." Black-san growled. "We need that damn key."

"Why don't we send Alice to go get it?" White Joker suggested, only to receive an outraged stare from the foreigner.

"There's _no way_ I'm going back there!" she cried, immediately shaking her head at the idea. "They'll rape me!"

"I bet you'd f****** like that, wouldn't you, w****?" Black-san grumbled, and Alice glared. He smirked. "Course, if you really wanted it I could have my f****** way with you right now."

"No!" Alice cried, her hands balling into tight fists at her sides. "I'd rather Ace killed me than _that._"

Black glared. "You said anything, didn't you, bitch?"

Alice bit back a growl, and averted her eyes to a nearby broken toy; pouting in furstration. He was so impossible! She wasn't sure how she would deal with him throughout this game.

White Joker sighed. "You'll need that key to end this game, Alice, and there's not much time you have left."

The foreigner paled, locking eyes with the jester. "What do you mean I don't have much time?"

"The Game of All Hallow's Eve follows the timeline of your world." White-san explained, his tone strangely calming. "Halloween in your world ends in four days, and if you don't get that key by midnight, the game won't end until you're either dead or they've taken something precious to you." He eyed her, and she knew exactly what he was talking about. She shivered.

"Okay, so let's say I _do_ get this key." Alice said seriously, her hands folded on her lap. "What do I have to do with it? Is just getting it going to turn everyone back to normal?"

"No, you idiot." Black-san snapped.

"You'll have to find the box of spades and unlock it." White Joker explained, ignoring his brother.

"Wait, so I have to find a _box_ now? But that could be anywhere!" the brunette cried with an exhausted sigh.

"Then you better stop your f****** complaining and find the damn thing!" Black shot at her, and Alice groaned.

"Why can't you guys get the key while I find the box?" Alice suggested, annoyed.

"We don't know where it is." White-san reminded her. "While you do."

"And we don't want to get the box." Black-san chimed in lazily, his ruby eye set in a glare on the teen.

"But you said you would help me!" Alice nearly whined, her brow pushed into an angered V-shape.

"Tch. We are. You wouldn't have known there was a box if we didn't tell you." Black Joker reminded her coldly, and Alice pouted. "You get the key and bring it to us. Then you'll find the box."

The brunette sighed, but didn't argue. "Fine."

The Jokers smirked, and Alice hung her head, glaring at her lap. This was going to be a very, _very_ long Halloween.

_

* * *

_

Stupid Jokers.

Alice found herself thinking heatedly, her blue orbs transfixed on the sunset-colored leaves that scattered themselves about Clover Tower. The building awaited her gloomily, as if a dark aura was surrounding it. She'd never felt this uncertain about the tower; it was always a safe haven to come to when she needed comfort or a place to stay. She never thought she'd witness the day when she was actually afraid of the building.

With caution, the brunette gently pushed the bulky front door open, peeking inside. She couldn't seen anyone; the lights were turned off, which was unusual for the residents here. Julius was normally sitting peacefully working on clocks under a dim lamp, and Gray would be forcing Nightmare to complete his work. It just seemed like a ghost town now.

Carefully, Alice tiptoed inside, her eyes scanning the area cautiously as she made her way up the winding stairs; her head whipping behind her at every stray sound she heard.

"Don't be such a baby, Alice." she scolded herself with a whisper, carefully pushing the door to her empty bedroom open. Yet, she couldn't fight off that strange twisting in her stomach.

"Just grab the key and get out." she breathed to herself, darting for her dresser where- much to her horror- the key was gone. "What? No! Where'd it go? !"

"Looking for this?"

Startled, Alice spun around to face Gray. Much to her shock, though, his skin seemed to be made of scales that belonged on a lizard, and a dark blue- almost black- tail swung around from behind. His hands formed those that belonged to a lizard as well, and his topaz eyes looked at her in a strange, mischievous motion. Though, it wasn't long before she could see the blue spade key in his hand.

"Gray…" she murmured, taking a weary step backwards. "You… You're…"

"A lizard man, I know." Gray assured her, as if reading her mind. "Not particularly my choice of monster, but we can't really choose what we become, I suppose."

"Gray… I need that key." Alice said, her tone serious as she eyed the piece of blue metal in his hand. "Please, I really need that key."

"I know you do." Gray answered, twirling it in his hands. "And I want to give it to you, really, I do. But…" His hand formed into a fist around the key, holding it tightly in his scaly palms. "You'll leave if I give it to you."

"I won't leave." Alice tried to object, but her tone said otherwise. "I mean, I need to leave now, but I'll be back! I just need the key to fix all this."

"Can you really promise you'll be back?" Gray muttered, and Alice tilted her head to the side.

"Of course." she agreed, but Gray shook his head.

"You won't come back, Alice." he replied coldly, and Alice flinched. "Just like you went running earlier. Someone else will take you away, and I won't let them. That's why I can't give you this key; if you leave, you won't come back."

"But Gray, I need to fix this!" Alice argued, her face worried. "I-!"

Gray interrupted the brunette, quickly pinning her against him; his arms caging her in his embrace. Her eyes widened, and a blush crept up her cheeks as she tried to push away; however, Gray wouldn't have it.

"I won't let you leave. Please don't try. They'll take you away." he murmured, burying his face in the crook of her neck. Alice frowned at the man, feeling sorry for him. She didn't ever see the workaholic in such a state; it made her feel horrible.

"They won't take me away." Alice whispered, knowing it was a lie. Nightmare had said everyone would either want lust or death, so she would be forced away at some point; the Jokers would help her escape, though- at least, she hoped.

"Alice…" Gray murmured huskily, planting a kiss against her neck. Alice's eyes widened, and she tried to shove away harder.

"Gray! What are you doing?" she cried, trying to release herself from him, but the ex-assassin wasn't so easily moved.

"Don't leave." he whispered, continuing to devour her neck and work his way up to her jaw. Heat rose to Alice's cheeks, and she struggled to break free.

"Gray! Stop, please!" she argued. "Just let go and give me the key!"

Gray lifted his head from her back, but didn't let go. Instead, his lust filled yellow eyes were captivated in hers; both a longing and a depression traced in his pupils. "I'll give you the key… but I want you to kiss me first."

"Wh-what?" Alice stammered, and if it was possible for her blush to grow redder, it would have. "I-I-!"

"Show me how much you need the key." he whispered, leaning his face towards her to their noses were barely touching. "One kiss and I'll let you go… for now…"

Having no other choice, Alice ignored the last two words of her friend and pressed her lips against his. Gray seemed pleased and gently pressed the key into her palm as the kiss continued, his lips moving lovingly against hers. However, she could feel a force beginning to rise; his kiss growing more hungered and needed. Alice broke the kiss then before it got too far, and quickly dove out of the room; her legs like sudden motors.

"Thank you, Gray!" she called behind her, the key clutched tightly in her palms as she rushed out of the tower.

_I just need to bring this to the Jokers. That's all I have to do. _Alice thought with a grin, but she should have known she wasn't going to have it that easy. Nothing was that simple, and this certainly would be no exception.

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**HELLO EVERYONE! 8D *glomps* I missed you~! You have no idea how bad I wanted to get this chapter out on Halloween. However, my damned laptop has been acting up with a virus and the internet has been going crazy. I can't assure you when the next chapter will be up, but I'm praying I get it out soon. I already finished coming up with monsters for everyone. The next monsters will include Gowland, Boris, and Pierce. 8D Be prepared~!**


	5. Fairies are MANLY!

**5. Fairies are MANLY!**

As town came into view, Alice began to walk towards Joker's forest, only to feel a sharp tug on her elbow pull her backwards. Confused, she turned around to face the creature that owned the hand latched on her arm.

Behind her stood a black-haired boy with cat ears and a black boa wrapped around his arms. His bright yellow eyes danced as he took her in, his gloved hand tightening his hold on her elbow.

"…Boris?" Alice asked, unsure. The cat-teen nodded, his raven locks bouncing.

"Where are you going, Alice?" Boris asked, and despite the wide grin on his face, she felt uneasy. Her stomach was twisting in knots as his cat eyes were mesmerized in hers, and something just didn't feel right.

_Nonsense! _Alice thought to herself. _This is Boris! He's perfectly fine!_ However, thinking back to the others, she couldn't help but feel a sickening motion in her gut.

"Um, Boris, what happened to your…?" the brunette pointed at his hair, and Boris touched a lock, laughing once.

"It's part of the new game." he explained, his eyes still locked with hers, making the girl feel nervous. "But let's forget about that for now. Why don't you come to the amusement park with me?"

"The… amusement park?" Alice shook her head, gently tugging her arm away from his grip. "Sorry, Boris. I really need to get going." She glanced at the spade key wrapped tightly in her palm.

"Aww, come on. Just one ride." The black-haired feline insisted, grabbing for her arm roughly; tugging her towards the path that led to the park. She sensed something wrong with him; this just wasn't right. Boris never actually got physical… Not like this, at least. He seemed demanding now; upfront.

"I'm really sorry, Boris. Maybe another time." Alice once again tried to apologize, glancing at her clothes with a light blush. "I'm still in my night dress, after all. I should probably change before I go there."

"No, no, it'll be fun! I promise; it won't even matter what you're wearing." Boris objected, still grinning widely as he slid an arm around her waist. Alice quickly pulled away, assuring there was a good distance between the two.

"Boris, I told you I have to go. I'm _really_ sorry. I'll come later, okay?" she tried to reason, sighing once as she spun around towards the forest. However, it wasn't long before she was tackled to the ground. "Gah! Boris-!"

"Alice! Please, save me from the neko-demon, chu!"

_I know that voice._ the brunette thought, looking up at who'd tackled her. Sure enough, a red-haired Pierce lay on top of her; his unhidden emerald eye lit up with fright. She sighed, gently pushing him off so she could reach her feet. _Where'd he come from?_

"Pierce? Look, I'm sorry, but I really don't have time to help you." Alice apologized, brushing off any dirt that had gathered on her night dress. "I need to get back to the Jokers."

"The Jokers?" Pierce's eye narrowed, and he grabbed onto Alice's wrist. "You can't go to the Jokers, Alice~! They'll hurt you!"

"No, it's fine. I just really need to leave…" Alice tried to tug from the boy's grip, but he refused to let go. She sighed. "Fine, I'll go to the Amusement Park for a _little bit_, but I can't stay long, okay?"

Pierce grinned, eagerly tugging her towards the park. As he did so, Alice eyed his attire strangely.

_He looks normal._ she thought skeptically, her stomach tightening in knots. _All the role holders changed into monsters, so shouldn't he have, too?_

"Um, Pierce…" Before Alice could finish asking her question, the mouse-eared boy eagerly sat her on a bench in the park, taking a few steps back. Alice watched in confusion as "Pierce" slowly… melted? Indeed! He was melting! The mouse-eared boy dripped quickly, and it wasn't long before the black-haired Boris stood in front of her once again; a mischievous grin spread across his face. "B-Boris! How… What…?"

"Like it?" The claimed neko-demon asked, plopping down next to her; one arm slung securely around her shoulders. "Shapeshifting. Part of the creature, you know?"

"B-Boris! You tricked me!" Alice accused, prepared to stand up and leave, but the feline pushed her right back down into his arms. "Boris! Let me go!"

"Aww, come on, Alice." Boris whined, the girl now having been pushed onto his lap and his head resting against her back; his arms tightening around her waist. Slowly, he began to slide one arm under her skirt. "I just want to have fun…"

"NO!" Alice cried, her cheeks reddening deeply as she shoved him away, taking several steps back with her hands in front of her; as if they could protect her. "This isn't you, Boris… You don't want to do that… It's just part of the game! The game is making you do this!"

Boris didn't seem to care, though. His topaz eyes glistened and a pointed grin spread across his face as he swayed towards the girl; his black tail twirling almost demonically. He was less than a foot from her now; his hand caressing her cheek.

"But what if I do?" he teased, playing with a strand of her hair. "Maybe it's really _me_ who wants to play… Maybe the game has nothing to do with it…"

A small gunshot let out through the air- almost inaudible- and both teens turned their heads curious at the distraction. Alice had to cover her mouth so she didn't laugh.

Gowland seemed to have shrunk… as in, to the size of Alice's index finger. He wore a frilly, light yellow gown that resembled that of a pixie, and his red braid hung over his shoulder. Small, crystal wings flapped violently in the back, and if it weren't for his height and current attire, he would have looked frightening.

"Boris!" Gowland shouted angrily, keeping his pointed gun- or should we say wand?- towards the cat; quickly floating over to a stunned Alice's shoulder. "Leave the poor girl be! She doesn't want you here! Aint that right, sweetheart?"

"S-sweetheart?" Alice took a step back from the fairy and cat; her blue eyes examining them in confusion. "Gowland… why are you a fairy?"

"I'm not a fairy!" Gowland objected, suddenly angered. "I'm just small… and have wings!"

"Tch. You're so a fairy." Boris mocked, picking up the amusement park owner by one of his wings; the redhead struggling in the cat's grasp. "Must be from your name, Mary."

"Shut up!" Gowland barked, and Boris sighed, tossing him over his shoulder into a nearby bush.

"Whatever. Where were we, Alice?" the shape shifter asked; his lustful expression back in place as he strode towards the girl. One hand slid around her waist and another cupped her cheek, preparing to make a move.

_Swip!_

Alice grew rigid as a silver blade flew past her, and Boris glared behind him. "What _now?_"

Pierce stood behind the two; another dagger held in his hands steadily. His single emerald eye held a mixture of horror, worry, and anger all at once. His skin was scaly- much like Gray's- and a red tail swung from behind him. The dagger was unsteady in his palms, but he held it against Boris nonetheless.

_Is he a lizard, too?_ Alice wondered, though she was too frozen to ask.

"Tch. You almost hit Alice, baka mouse." Boris growled, his hand once again tugging at the hem of Alice's dress. The brunette tried to pull away, but the black-haired teen didn't let go.

"Leave her alone!" Pierce cried, wishing he sounded confident only to have his voice come out shaky and unsure. He coughed, trying to clear his throat. "I mean it!"

"And what are you going to do?" Boris taunted. "If you throw that, it might hit Alice. You don't want that, do you, mousey boy?"

Pierce hesitated a moment, eyeing the dagger and then the two teens. Quickly, he dropped the knife, and Alice half expected him to run. However to her surprise, Pierce's form seemed to melt as Boris did before- this time, though, he formed a… dragon?

Yes, sure enough, a large red dragon stood before them; his green eyes unsure, but his mouth opened wide, as if to yell.

Boris glared, gently shoving Alice aside to hiss at the monster. Before she knew it, ghostly balls of flames popped out of her feline friend's mouth and headed straight toward Pierce. The former mouse cowered a moment, but timidly blocked the fire with his own heated breath.

The two continued at it, and as Alice was preparing to leave, the scene before her was already melting into the cold prison of the Jokers'. In moments, the brunette was sprawled across the stone floor that belonged to the prison guard man in front of her. She glared.

"Well it's about time you got me out of there!" she cried, raising a fist at him angrily. "What about helping me, Black-san?"

"I _did_ help." The prison guard snapped, his glare equally as cold; if not colder. "I got you out of there before they burnt you up to pieces."

"Well you didn't help me when Gray forced me to kiss him!" Alice argued.

"You needed to get the f****** key, idiot!" Black hollered, his voice rising along with the foreigner's.

"What about when Boris was harassing me? !"

"I didn't feel like it, bitch!" "You didn't _feel_ like it? ! I almost got raped because of you!"

"F****** INGRATE!"

Both of their voices were echoing loudly across the prison walls now, and it wasn't until both felt a sharp smack on the back of the head that they quieted down.

"Both of you, shut up." White-san scolded, narrowing his wine red eye at the two. "The important thing is that we have the key now, right, Alice?"

"You _do_ have it, don't you, slut?" Black-san demanded immediately, and Alice sighed, holding up the blue spade key for both to see.

"So, we have to find the box now, right?" Alice guessed, and White-san nodded while Black Joker grumbled a few inaudible words under his breath. She smiled. Perfect. If all she needed to do was find this box, she was sure things would go smooth sailing from now on…

Hah. Yeah. Right.

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This was supposed to be a more humorous chapter… Guess not. =/

**But…**

**GOWLAND IS A FAIRY! D Why is a fairy a "monster"? Because in one myth, they are believed to be demons entirely, and damn, I wanted to picture Gowland as a fairy so damn bad! 8D **

**Boris and Pierce were the hardest creatures to come with. I wanted to make Boris ANYTHING but a cat, and Pierce something dangerous yet cute. Eventually, I based Boris off a Bakeneko (Wikipedia it if you want to learn about it; it's a part of Japanese mythology), but also changed him so his main key points are shape-shifting and possess people by jumping over them. I found this much more interesting, and I hope you did, too. I changed Boris' color scheme to all black as well: I felt it had more of that "Halloween" feel to it.**

**Pierce was the hardest to come up with. I mean, I went looking EVERYWHERE for something for him. It was hard; and by hard, I mean a royal pain in the ass. Eventually, I just said "Screw it" and made him a cowardly dragon. I mean, this was the hardest one to come up with. *sigh* At least the worst is over… The next chapter will most likely include the Hatter Mafia. Stay tuned~!**

**It's a little late, but I promised in my deviantART journal that I'd write another chapter to this right away, so HERE IT IS! 8D**


	6. Tricks or Treats?

**Before I begin on this chapter, I'd like to warn you about one thing:**

**There is some AlicexCERTAIN SOMEONE THAT I WILL NOT NAME making out, and trust me, it serves a purpose to the story later on, so don't just think I threw it in there because I wanted some action. XD It serves a real purpose to the story, so enjoy~!**

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6. Tricks or Treats?

Though she couldn't see it, Alice was sure it was daybreak. The elephant wails and giggling of jester children pretty much broke it to her. Though, she still wasn't sure why she was so warm…?

Curious, the brunette popped an eye open, taking in the scene around her. She was in a… bedroom? Yes. Sure enough, she lay curled up in a ball under a thick comforter styled with white and wine red diamonds, while comfortable ruby walls surrounded her. Tall posters of card symbols hung on the walls, and she could spot a white plush carpet on the ground. The bed frame was shaped like a gray jester hat, and a clown-styled lamp sat on a nearby nightstand. However, none of these details held her attention for long.

She felt two arms tighten around her waist, and with quick concern, Alice flipped her head around to face none other than White Joker.

"White-san?" she said, startled; her eyes wide and a blush creeping up her cheeks. White's ruby eye opened, and he stared at the girl.

"What is it?" he asked, almost genuinely curious.

"Wh-what are you doing here? Where am I?" she demanded, attempting to squeeze out of his arms, but the jester didn't budge. Instead, he smiled.

"It's my room, so shouldn't I be here?" he teased, and Alice frowned; her eyebrows pushing into a V-shape.

"Why am I here, though?" she asked, trying to remember yesterday. She couldn't remember much. She recalled getting the key… She also remembered herself growing dizzy… Dark; she remembered the darkness well.

"You passed out in the prison." White-san replied, brushing the foreigner's bangs from her eyes. "Black wanted to leave you there, but that's no way to treat a lady, is it?"

_I wouldn't exactly call you a gentleman. _the outsider thought grumpily, though inside she knew he was more of a gentleman than Black-san.

"You looked cold." Joker continued, placing his hand on her fragile shoulder. "So I thought I should join you."

"U-um, thanks." the brunette stammered, unsure if she should really be appreciating this. It was actually making her uncomfortable.

"Stop hogging the slut, Joker." A sudden voice startled the girl, and both heads turned towards the doorway where Black-san stood; an angered look on his face. White-san smiled, but said nothing as he climbed out of bed and made his way to his twin. Black turned his attention to Alice. "Don't you have any other clothes than that skimpy nightgown, w****?"

Alice blushed. "They're all back at the tower."

"I'll get the lady some clothes from the circus wardrobe." White-san explained, smiling once at Alice before ducking back out into the hall of the circus tent. However, it wasn't one of those gentlemanly smiles he gave; it was more of a mischievous smile. One she both feared and wanted to know what was behind it at the same time.

Black-san crossed his arms firmly in front of his chest, his wine red eye glaring into the foreigner's as he neared the edge of the bed. She instinctively inched away, crawling back under the blanket. Neither said anything; just stared at each other. Alice knew she should feel intimidated, but instead she felt annoyance… and tired. She really wished she could've slept longer…

"Here we are." White-san said from the doorway, breaking the silence. He held up a few red and black diamond-patterned gowns for the girl, along with a few slim night dresses. "These should be suitable for you until the game's over."

"I only have three days left, right?" Alice guessed, and White Joker nodded; Black mumbling a few words under his breath. She sighed. "Then I guess we'd better find the box, right?"

"What other choice do we have, you idiot." Black Joker insulted, and Alice flinched.

"Whatever. Can you two please get out? I need to get changed." Alice asked as White-san placed the gowns on the bed in front of her.

"Tch. Who said we were leaving?" Black-san demanded, plopping down next to the foreigner. "It's _our_ place."

Alice blushed, glaring. "I'm not getting changed with you two in here."

Black-san opened his mouth to argue, but White-san quickly took his twin's hand, tugging him away. "Now, now, we mustn't cause problems for the lady, remember? After all this, she'll do anything you want."

"Tch. Fine." the prison guard grumbled, stepping out of the room followed by the jester.

* * *

When Alice stepped out of the room, her now torn and ratty nightdress was traded with a slim red and black diamond-checkered gown that reached down to her knees but draped loosely around her arms; leaving her shoulders bare.

"Why didn't you get any dresses that cover my shoulders?" the foreigner asked, blushing as she viewed over her attire.

"Shut up and be glad he gave you anything at all." Black-san snapped, and Alice sighed, looking away. "Don't f****** ignore me when I'm talking to you!"

"Enough, will you?" White Joker said with an exhausted sigh. Black-san growled, but shut up nonetheless.

"Where do we start looking?" Alice asked, following the two men to the prison.

"We? Who said we're coming with you?" the prison guard seethed, and Alice's blue eyes widened with shock.

"What? You have to come! They'll- they'll-!" Alice cut off, shuddering at the thought. "I can't go out there alone! I need you to come with me!"

"You _need_ us?" White-san asked with a smirk, and a devilish glint came into Black-san's eye. Both turned around quickly, leaning down to her height.

"U-um, yes." Alice replied, taking an abrupt step backwards; suddenly uncomfortable. She didn't like where this was going.

"Prove it." Black-san instructed, and Alice's eyes widened.

"How?" she asked, already knowing where it was leading to.

"Show us how much you need us." White-san answered seductively, brushing a hand against her cheek in a caressing motion.

"Wh-what?" Alice stammered, prepared to take another step back, but Black-san's arms wove around her waist.

"Don't act stupid." Black Joker demanded, glaring at her. "The f****** nanny got some action, so why can't we?"

"But _you're_ supposed to help me!" Alice accused. "Not do… _this!_"

"Come come, Alice. You said you'd do anything we wanted, remember?" White-san whispered, his lips now at her ear. The foreigner shuddered. "We're not asking for much…" As he said this, his fingers were brushing against her thigh. Alice glared.

"One kiss." she stated angrily. "Nothing more than a _kiss_ though, got that?"

Neither Joker spoke a word; instead, White-san's lips were on hers while Black Joker waited impatiently on the sidelines. White's lips were soft and gentle, moving against hers almost sweetly. Yet, behind it, she could sense the slightest bit of force; it wasn't well known, but she could feel a pressure behind his touch. His hands caressed her cheeks; brushing her hair from her face and tracing lines against her skin.

Finally, Black Joker had enough of waiting and shoved his look-alike away, his own lips forcing onto the foreigner's. Alice tried to step away, but the prison guard pressed his hand firmly against her back, pushing her against him. The brunette attempted to struggle away, but that only made the guard hold her tighter. His mouth forced hers open, and his tongue traced rough patterns in her mouth. His kiss was more forceful; more fierce and aggressive. It seemed to match his personality to a perfection.

After what felt like forever- though in reality it was only a minute or two- Black-san pulled away, leaving the brunette to blink in confusion and stumble backwards. It took a moment for her to realize that White-san had dragged him away, for he was starting to go too far.

"Now that that's over," White-san began, eyeing his brother angrily, though his lips remained in a firm line. "I think we should begin searching for the box, don't you agree?"

"Tch." Black glared in response to his twin, crossing his arms firmly across his chest. "Fine. Get in the damn mask."

White Joker grudgingly did as told- surprising for the jester- and faded into the small bask on the darker Joker's belt. Black Joker walked towards Alice and gripped her arm tightly, dragging her off to the forest.

"I can walk for myself, you know!" the brunette objected, her face flushed furiously as she now stumbled over tree roots and bushes in the forest.

"You'll slow me down." Black Joker snapped, and the foreigner huffed, struggling to keep up. He was so impossible! Where were they even going?

As a large mansion began to come into view, Alice gulped. Oh. That's where.

The Hatter Mansion.

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AND~ CLIFFHANGER! 8D Kinda. In a way. JokerxAlice is beautiful (in a dark, strange way) is it not? Why did I put that scene in there? Guess you'll just have to wait for the rest of the story, won't you? ;3

**I wanted to add the Hatter's in this chapter, but it would've been long enough for a whole new chapter, so I'm cutting it off here. Don't worry, though! They come in the next one, I promise. :3**

**I plan on making this a series of 3 or 4 more stories if you guys REALLY like this (It won't all just be Halloween, don't worry), so let me know what you guys think because the ending for this one is nearing and I want to get to work on the next one! So either review or PM me so I know if I should make this a series, and I'll try to get to work on the next ASAP!**


	7. Monsters in the Dead of Noon

**7. Monsters in the Dead of Noon**

The large wrought iron gates came into view, along with a distant mansion beyond it. She could see two bodies in front, but they looked… lifeless.

_Could it be the gatekeepers?_ Alice wondered to herself as Black-san dragged her closer to the gates, the bodies coming into view. They sure _looked_ like the gatekeepers; they owned the same hair, the same eye colors, even the same clothes! Yet, it was obvious they were dolls. No; more like scarecrows. Small strands of wheat and hay were popping out from the seams on chicken sack for skin, and buttons replaced where eyes should be. Gleaming axes were held in their hands, and she noticed two stands holding up the dolls for twins.

"They're… scarecrows?" Alice stated, tilting her head to the side as she examined them.

"Shut up!" Black Joker growled in a hushed whisper, his hand growing tighter on her arm as he pulled her into some side bushes, away from the lifeless stares of the dolls. His single ruby eye glared heatedly into hers, and Alice flinched.

"What-?" Before the brunette could continue, Black-san interrupted her.

"Are you _stupid?_ Are you seriously a f****** _idiot?_" Black Joker cursed, and Alice flinched once again. "You can't f****** talk with them there!"

"Why? They're just dolls!" Alice cried in a hushed whisper, and Black-san slapped a hand over her mouth; muffling her words. He leaned forward, his face inches from hers.

"Don't talk." he threatened, his words as cold as his stare. "Make one noise and I will personally whip you to your death. Is that clear?"

Alice opened her mouth to agree, but quickly shook off the idea; nodding obediently instead. Black roughly released her mouth; his hand tightening around her arm until it nearly turned white under his grasp and yanked her roughly to the side of the Hatter gate; away from the leering eyes of the tweedles.

The two tiptoed almost silently across the gate, searching for a way inside; their eyes always straying at least once to the scarecrows at the gate; their bodies swaying back and forth on the poles.

"I found an entrance." Alice whispered almost silently to her partner, pointing to a large, gaping hole left under the gate; almost as if somebody had tried to enter there before.

"Good work, bitch." Black-san replied, violently pulling her to the ground as he kneeled towards the hole. However, in this process, the foreigner fell on a stray twig; a small _crack_ echoing around them. Their eyes widened as they turned towards the scarecrows for gatekeepers; the buttons for eyes now aimed at the strange partners.

"F***!" Black-san cursed loudly, already yanking himself through. Alice stared in horror as the gatekeepers swiftly climbed off their poles; their axes aimed towards the two.

"Hold on! Help me through!" the brunette cried in panic to the prison guard as he slithered easily to the other side of the gate, leaving the maiden behind. Black Joker huffed in frustration, but turned towards the girl nonetheless.

"You're a f****** pain in the ass." the redhead mumbled as the teen frantically got onto her stomach and began to slide under the whole; dirt smearing across her once pretty gown.

"_Hurry up! They're coming!"_ White-san warned from Black Joker's belt, and their heads turned towards the scarecrows that were racing forth; their axes chopping at anything that threatened to get in their way.

Alice struggled harder now; kicking frantically at the ground as she slid on her stomach under the hole… only to have her dress get caught on a spiked piece of iron.

"Ah!" she cried out, feeling a slight jab of pain as she accidentally slid into the spike; quickly tugging the other way as she attempted to get out. "I'm stuck!"

"I can f****** see that!" Black shouted angrily, quickly reaching for her outstretched hands and tugging her towards him. As he pulled, Aliec could feel the iron scratching through her dress and against her skin, drawing blood.

"Ow!" she cried as he yanked her against the metal; frightened tears beginning to fill her eyes from the pain and the scarecrows now only yards away. "Help!"

"Damn it." Black growled as the twins were nearly toward the foreigner now, pulling her towards him as hard as he could. To their luck, it was just hard enough to squeeze her out before Dee's ax went soaring where her body had previously laid. Alice fell on top of Black-san; clutching onto him tightly as she stared in horror through teary eyes at the twins that were pressing themselves against the gate; axes swinging at them and missing by inches. Black Joker held the back of her waist just as tightly, curses flying from his lips at both her and the scarecrows. Eventually, Black stood up- taking Alice with him- and stormed towards a window near the side of the mansion.

"Wait! I can't keep up!" Alice complained, her tears gone as she struggled to follow her savior.

"Shut the f*** up." Black hissed, and Alice glared. Soon enough, a window was cracked open, and Black dove in; leaning back to help the foreigner up and tossing her onto the ground of what looked like a parlor. It wasn't long before he once again gripped her arm and began to drag her off to wherever he suspected the box was.

"Why did you save me back there?" Alice asked, breaking the small silence between them. "No offence, but it's not like you to save me for any reason. You would normally ignore me and leave me for dead. So, why did you do it?"

"_Black's getting soft."_ White-san teased, and Black Joker squeezed the mask angrily; almost breaking it in his hand.

"There's no f****** way I'm getting soft, you f****** b******!" Black shouted angrily, almost prepared to kill the small mask in his hands. He glared angrily at Alice, almost as if it was her fault. "There's two reasons I didn't let them kill you back there. The first is because if I wanted you dead I'd do it myself. I wouldn't leave it up to some f****** six-year-old brats. The second is because you still owe me anything I want, and you're killed by someone else I can't have that now can I?"

"Actually, I don't-" Before Alice could finish, a voice interrupted the two.

"Hey! What are you doing here?"

"Uh oh." Alice mumbled as she spotted an orange-haired Elliot racing toward them; his ears twitching in annoyance as he made his way towards the two. Black Joker was already out of sight- much to the brunette's terror- and all she could do was face the rabbit-eared man nearing her.

However, it wasn't until he was a few feet away that his expression softened and Alice's eyebrows pushed together in confusion. One fang hung over his bottom lip, and he looked almost normal… except for the strange fur growing around the sides of his face and on top of his hands.

"Elliot…?" Alice said the word questionably, cautiously taking a step backwards. Elliot grinned, scratching the side of his cheek awkwardly.

"Hey there, Alice!" the rabbit-eared man greeted the foreigner, placing a casual hand on his hip. Alice knew better than to be fooled, though, and took an abrupt step backwards.

"Hello." the brunette replied, looking away. It was then she remembered the blood seeping through the side of her dress and quickly examined it. Elliot did the same, and his blue eyes widened in concern.

"You're bleeding!" he shouted, pointing out the obvious an quickly getting onto his knees to examine the tear in the side of her dress. Alice blushed, nodding.

"I kind of ran into the twins earlier." she explained, quickly placing a hand over the crimson liquid that stained her gown. Elliot frowned.

"Stupid brats. I'll kill them." he growled, and Alice shook her head.

"No, no, it's okay." she assured him. "I just need some bandages."

Elliot was quiet for a moment, but grinned. "I have a better idea."

"What is-?" Before Alice could finish, her face grew cherry red as she felt something wet against her side. Turning in the direction, she stared in horror as Elliot _licked_ her wound. Taking several frightened steps away, Alice demanded, "What are you _doing?_"

Elliot's ears flatted against his wavy hair and he tilted his head to the side. "I'm healing your cut, of course. I'm a werewolf; it's what I do. Now come back here; I'm not finished." A mischievous grin spread across his face then, and Alice shuddered.

"N-no thanks. I feel better now." the brunette stammered, searching for an escape. The only option was the window… Damn! Why did Black-san had to leave? Where did he even go off to?

"Alice…" Elliot was standing now, gently walking towards her. She'd seen that look he held in his eye before; she'd seen it several times in the eyes of other role holders since this game began.

"Don't come near me, Elliot. I'm warning you." Alice threatened, though her voice held no hint of actual danger; more like fear.

"Don't be afraid." the werewolf-rabbit whispered, now in front of her; his head bent down so his lips were at her ear. "Don't be afraid, Alice…"

His hand rested gently on her shoulder now; his thumb tracing circles on her skin while he prepared to lean in for a kiss. Of course, this wasn't until an abrupt sound of somebody clearing their throat ruined the moment; or, for Alice, saved it.

Of course, she only felt relieved for a brief moment.

Blood Dupre stood at the other end of the hallway; a large black cape billowing behind him and a glare set on his partner. Elliot flinched, inching away from the foreigner.

"It seems you're causing trouble for the lady." Blood said, noting Alice's frightened look. "Of course, I could be wrong. She could be _liking_ it."

Alice glared, her hands balling into fists at her side. "I most certainly was not." She tried to ignore the pained look on Elliot's face, but she felt a twinge of guilt as she said her words nonetheless. "Anyways, I think I should be going now."

"No, no. Stay." Blood insisted, making his way down the hall. "You came for a reason, did you not? Perhaps to borrow some more books?"

Alice shook her head. "No, not really. I just came to visit… Though, I think I should leave now."

"Stay. I insist." Blood objected, now in front of her; his hand catching hers as she foreigner tried to turn away. "You can borrow some books and we can chat."

Alice frowned worriedly, glancing between him, Elliot, and the hall. She was sure if she stayed with Elliot, another licking would occur. If she tried to leave, Blood would do something about it… At least if she went with Blood she could have time to think of an escape.

"Fine." Alice said with a sigh. "I'll stay for a little while."

Blood smirked, revealing two white fangs pointing out from his teeth. "I thought so."

**

* * *

**

Yay! Chapter 7 is up~! Chapter 8 should be up pretty soon, too, since I already have half of what I want to happen figured out in my head. I was gonna make the twins imps, but then I saw some creepy scarecrows while I was out and thought "OOH! THEY LOOK SCARY COOL! 8D" so I changed it~! 3

**I love Joker x Alice moments. O/w/O Elliot x Alice is okay, but Joker x Alice is a major win. 8D**

**I also posted up a new poll for you guys. I'm determined to make this a series, and if you look on my profile, I have some story ideas that I'd like to write about for sequels (I'll right them all eventually), so on the poll you can choose which story you want to see next! 8D The poll will close when I put the next chapter up unless I don't have a winner; when I get a winner then I'll close it and announce it at the end of this story. 8D**


	8. Count Duprella, At Your Service

**8. Count Duprella, At Your Service**

Blood Dupre led the all too nervous Alice to his office, his hand pressed to her back all the way so she had no hopes of escaping. A smirk seemed to be sketched into his face, and the brunette found herself glancing at it every once in a while, her nerves hitching whenever she did.

"Choose any book you'd like." the vampire said once they were trapped in his room; his fingers slickly locking the door behind him as he led the maiden towards the bookshelf.

"I-I will, thank you." the foreigner stammered nervously as Dupre made his way to his desk; returning to the stack of paperwork he had piked up. The brunette sighed in relief- briefly catching his attention- and pretended to skim through the large leather novels that displayed on the bookcase.

_I need to find a way out of here._ she thought to herself, glancing between the vampire and the exit before returning her gaze to the books. _I need to get back to Black-san… wherever that guy is. Why'd he even leave? No, _how_ did he leave? Where did he go? Ugh. I can tell this is going to be a real pain trying to find him._

Alice froze in front of the books, lost on her train of thought. Though, it wasn't long before she felt a gloved hand press gently against her shoulders- its touch resembling feathers- and the brunette nearly jumped out of her skin.

Spinning around, Alice came face-to-face with Blood; an amused expression on his face as the teen shrunk back against the bookshelf.

"It appears I've frightened you." the vampire said with a smirk, his arms moving to place a barricade against the bookshelf and trapping her in front of him. "I'm sorry. You must have been thinking really hard about something to have frozen like that, though."

"I-I was." the brunette replied honestly, feeling so very small compared to his towering figure hovering over her; his face about a half a foot away from hers and his shadow looming over her frail figure.

"What were you thinking about?" Blood asked, a slight purr in his voice as he inched forward; his navy blue orbs locked with her frightened ones. "You seemed so… intense."

"N-nothing." Alice mumbled, her voice almost coming out like a squeak. "J-just a, um… daydream! Yeah. That."

"You look so red…" Blood whispered, pressing his gloved hand against her cheek. Sure enough, a frightened blush had risen. "Could you be thinking naughty things, young lady?"

"O-of course not!" Alice objected, terrified as the raven-haired man bent his head down to her exposed shoulder; his lips pressing against the bare skin.

"Hmph. I don't believe you." he replied with full honesty, his lips slowly trailing to her collarbone and reaching up to her neck. His cape seemed to act as a shield around them; hiding the creature in his arms.

_He-he's not going to-! He-he wouldn't! _Alice thought to herself, her mind in a panic. She paled in the realization. _No. This is Blood Dupre. He would! Crap! No, no, no! _

"That's such a pretty dress, Alice." Dupre whispered against her skin, his lips planting small kisses against her neck; much to her discomfort. His right hand sneakily slid to the hem of her gown- sliding it up just a little- while the left slid down to her waist. "I think I'd like it better, though, if you weren't wear-"

Before Blood could finish, he felt something soft under his left hand; something liquid. His navy eyes flashed a crimson red, and he paused his kisses; abruptly pulling a few inches away to stare blankly at the girl in front of him. Confused, Alice glanced at her side, only to realize what he'd felt. Her blood. It looked better than before, but it didn't fully heal under Elliot's licks, and Blood had smelled it.

Slowly- ever so slowly- Blood lifted his now stained glove to his face, staring at his hand for a brief moment before his eyes grew a crimson, slowly fading into a beady black. Alice could feel the sweat beginning to dew at the brim of her hairline as the man before her suddenly changed; a seductive lustful look now lost in his cold stone eyes, replaced with a deadly stare. His fangs made themselves known; longer now and more pronounced. He grinned widely like the Cheshire Cat himself.

"Blood…" Alice whispered, all hope of escape now lost. He'd crossed over to a new self; a vampire.

"You smell delicious, Alice." the vampire whispered, quickly diving for the girl. However, Alice had thought ahead in a brief moment and dove away, making her way to the hall. When her hand gripped the doorknob, it didn't take long for her to remember that he'd locked it.

A dark shadow loomed over the maiden as she struggled with the lock, and it wasn't long before his gloved hands were over hers; preventing her from escape. She could see locks of raven hair on the sides of her face as his lips pressed against the back of her head; his hands moving to her hip and shoulder as if to comfort her.

"Don't worry." he whispered, caressing her gently, though it held no comfort for the horrified girl in his arms. "It'll be quick and easy. You'll hardly feel a thing."

This was certainly no reassurance for Alice. Instead, she felt the tears begin to build up in her eyes, despite how hard she struggled to keep them in. This was truly the end, wasn't it? She didn't see an escape for herself. Not this time. Talking her way out of this wasn't going to help; he wouldn't listen to her. All she could do was pray he would be quick so she could die without vain.

As she felt his hot breath against her neck and his pointed fangs beginning to tap her neck, Alice squeezed her eyes shut and tightened her fists into balls, waiting for the pain.

It felt like forever, but Alice felt nothing. Instead, she heard noises; loud bangs that echoed around her. Gunshots; she was sure that was it. There was also some type of snapping noise; angered groans of pain followed afterwards, but not long before another round of gunshots. What was this snapping noise? It had to be a weapon, but what? Not an ax; they gave off a swoosh, not a snap. Swords? No. Guns? Absolutely not. The only other weapon she could think of was…

"Black-san!" the name seemed to come naturally from her lips as Alice's turquoise eyes opened with some unnatural joy at the sight of the prison guard whipping at the vampire angrily; strict annoyance on his face.

"About f****** time you noticed!" the ruder Joker scowled, dodging a bullet Blood attempted to shoot with.

"Tch." The Hatter seemed unamused as Black Joker continued to dodge his shots. "Still leading men on, Alice? You haven't changed your seductive ways, have you? Quite the slut."

White-san growled from the mask- almost too low for either to hear- and Black-san whipped harder; the weapon leaving long red marks across the vampire's skin. Alice stared in confusion at the Jokers for a moment, but returned her attention to Blood; glaring at his black eyes.

When Blood fell to his knees briefly, Black Joker made his way to the vampire; whip aimed at the vampire and a deadly look in his ruby eye. Alice stared at him in both awe and puzzlement, wishing she could hear what he was saying.

"Call her a slut again. I dare you. I'll cut your f****** head off and shove a cross down your throat hole, understand that, b******?" Black Joker threatened, his far too serious and deadly voice inaudible to the foreigner at the doorway. "I'll cut your b**** off and stuff 'em up your ass, then dismember your body and break your clock as a warning to your f****** stupid ass lackeys, got it?"

Blood didn't say anything; just glared in fury at the man before him. Black Joker broke his deadly stare from the man to make his way to the outsider, grabbing at her arm and yanking her fiercely out of the office. Neither spoke as he swiftly dragged her out of the mansion and away from the sight of the scarecrow twins; back towards his forest.

They paused somewhere in the middle of Joker's forest, already halted by the sudden nighttime that loomed over the sky. Alice panted unevenly as Black-san looked away, ignoring her.

Once her breathing settled, Alice asked angrily, "Where did you go? Why did you leave me there?"

"If the rabbit saw me he would've shot and ruined our chances. You distracted him." Black Joker shot, equally irritated, but she could sense something behind it.

"Why didn't you tell me the plan beforehand, then? !" Alice cried, her eyebrows pushing into a v-shape as her eyes adjusted to the darkness and made out his annoyed figure a yard away. "When Blood took me to his room I thought I was going to die!"

"You weren't _supposed_ to go to his room!" Black Joker seethed, and Alice flinched. "You were supposed to distract the hare while I searched for the God damn box! You weren't supposed to go with the f****** b******, bitch!"

"Well I didn't know!" the brunette cried, getting worked up. "How was I supposed to know if you didn't tell me? I thought he was going to kill me! I was…" She paused, her head turning downwards as if she were a child being scolded by a parent. Alice frowned, staring at the ground beneath her, recalling the memory of Blood's fangs tapping her skin. "I was scared." Her voice was so low, Black wasn't even sure he heard her right.

The darker Joker turned around then; his expression softer, but a glare still set on his face nonetheless. An act; one that Alice was too naïve to truly see through. He huffed, crossing his arms firmly in front of his chest.

It was quiet between the two; neither said anything to one another, and it was Black-san who broke the silence.

"We'll have to camp out here for the night." he muttered, two thick blankets and pillows suddenly in his hands.

"Where did you…?" Alice tried to ask, but White-san cut her off.

"_This is our realm, remember?"_ the mask reminded her, and Alice nodded, but not soon before Black smacked his belt, shoving his twin away.

Black Joker set up the blankets and pillows on a more open spot on the ground, putting them together so they looked like they belonged on one big bed. Tossing his jacket and the belt aside, Black climbed under the blanket and waited impatiently for the foreigner to do the same. When she hesitated, he glared.

"Are you getting in or what?" he hissed, and Alice quickly took her shoes off and climbed under, curling under the thick comforter while lying on another for support; mimicking the Joker's actions. Black-san strangely wrapped a tight arm around the girl, pulling her against him. His arm seemed to constrict a bandage around her now crusted and healing wound, preventing any stray bits of blood that threatened to escape. Alice glanced up, but looked away, leaning her head against his chest.

She never thought she'd feel safe in his arms. She wasn't even quite sure that was the word she wanted to use, but it described her feelings perfectly. She did indeed feel safe; despite all this, he was the one to protect her throughout the entire game. Of course, it was only greed on his side, she was sure. The only reason he did this was because she'd agreed to do whatever he wanted afterwards. Despite this, she still felt safe in his arms. She'd never admit it out loud, of course, but the feeling was there whether she wanted it or not.

It was silent again, but this time Alice broke it.

"Black-san?" she whispered, almost checking to see if he were still awake.

"What?" his voice was blunt, but didn't particularly seem angered, which was a good sign.

"Can I ask you a question?" the brunette asked, only to receive an annoyed grunt from the man next to her.

"Hurry it up. I'm trying to sleep." he growled, and Alice nodded.

"What did you tell Blood back at the mansion?" Her voice was hesitant, almost sheepish as she asked. There was dead silence from Black-san, and for a moment she thought he'd fallen asleep. That was, until he spoke up.

"None of your damn business. Go to bed, w****." he hissed, and Alice nodded, her eyelids suddenly heavier and more tired. It wasn't long until she fell asleep in the Joker's arms.

* * *

…**Am I giving too much fan service? *w*;; I think I might be… BUT I LOVE JOKER X ALICE! DX Especially BlackxAlice. It's so hard NOT to put it in there.**

**I hope I'm getting the Jokers' personalities right. I REALLY hope I am. I figured once Black would begin to fall, he'd kinda be the jealous protective type that won't let anyone call his girlfriend a slut except for him. XD I don't know; it's just a theory of mine. And since White-san is a part of Black-san in a way (Even though I portray them more as twins in this), wouldn't that make it easier for him to tell what Black's feeling? *shrug* I dunno; it's probably just me. *prays I'm getting personalities right because the one thing I hate is when I go too OOC***

**I'm going to keep the poll for the next story up a little longer until either tomorrow or the day after just to see if I get anymore votes. :3**


	9. Death Follows You Everywhere

**9. Death Follows You Everywhere**

"_What are you going to do when the spell breaks?"_

"How the f*** am I supposed to know?"

"_Tell me this. Do you really think love can exist through a mask?"_

"Shut the f*** up, asshole. I'm not in f****** love, d*******. She's just another w**** to screw with."

"_Haha! Getting touchy, are we, Joker? My, you _are_ getting soft."_

"I said shut the f*** up, you b******!"

Alice blinked a few times, slowly regaining consciousness from her slumber and catching the last few sentences between her unusual comrades as she awoke. She was still wrapped in Black-san's arms; the Joker glaring in fury at the small mask that laid strewn a few feet away along with his belt.

"What are you two fighting over?" the brunette murmured, her voice still full of sleep. Both Jokers shut up then; Black-san turning towards the girl with a scowl and White silently snickering from the ground.

"None of your f****** business, w****." the darker Joker spat, and Alice sighed, already having grown used to his cussing.

"Whatever." the brunette muttered, prepared to fall back asleep, but the Joker pulled his arms away and stood up, gaining her attention as he fastened the belt back on his waist and shoved on his jacket.

"We're leaving." Black stated bluntly, and Alice sighed, standing up as well only to grasp her side quickly, frowning at her healing wound. It still looked a mess, despite it's fast heal. It hurt like all hell, too. Black noticed this and turned to her with a raised eyebrow. "What is it, bitch?"

"Just my side…" Alice murmured, frowning unpleasantly at the tear in her dress. Black grumbled a few irritated curses under his breath and went to investigate, violently shoving her to the side so he could get a good look.

"_It appears her wound hasn't fully healed quite yet."_ White-san noted from the belt.

"I can f****** see that." Black Joker shot, glaring between the mask and the cut. "Do I look _blind_ to you?"

Neither replied. Instead, Alice allowed he and White to inspect the wound, finally huffing in frustration when they were finished. It was deeper than they'd thought.

"Do you guys have some bandages I can use?" Alice asked gently, but instead, Black knelt down to her dress, gripping its hem. Blushing wildly, the foreigner demanded, "What are you doing? !"

"Getting you a f****** bandage, slut!" The prison guard shouted, quickly tearing along the hem to get a decent size of the fabric to wrap around Alice's waist. The girl continued to blush in objection as he secured it around her wound, almost pulling the fabric too tightly against her skin. Standing up, the Joker glared. "Better?"

Alice glanced down at her makeshift bandage and nodded. "Yeah…" Blushing, she turned to her dress. "But what do I do about this?"

Black huffed in annoyance, but clapped his hands together nonetheless. Soon enough- after a bright flash- Alice's tattered and torn gown was replaced with another; this time it was black and reached a little above her knees, displaying a gray trim around the edges. Her shoulders were once again bare, but this time long black arm sleeves billowed out around her arms, covering her hands just a little. Instead of a blue or red bow, it was black now with gray stripes along the sides. Black flats rested on her soles, much more comfortable than the previous shoes.

"How'd you do that?" the brunette murmured, admiring her attire. At least it seemed warmer than the last. Before he could answer, another question spilled from her lips, "Wait a minute! If you could do that, why didn't you just give me gauze instead of ripping my dress apart? !" "It was already ripped to begin with, f****** ingrate." Black reminded her, his wine red eye glaring angrily into hers. A smirk spread across his face as he continued. "It was more fun, anyways."

Alice blushed, but looked away with a pout; ignoring him and determined to change the subject before he tried anything. "Did you find the box?"

Black nodded once. The look he gave was just as cruel as ever, but there was something deeper in his eyes; sadness? No! It couldn't be! Black Joker's heart- erm, clock- was as black as his name. He would never be sad… This was disregarded though, once the words escaped his mouth, "It's in the basement at the Hatter's."

Alice's turquoise eyes lit up excitedly; a large smile spreading across her face. Could it be true? He'd actually found the box? All of this could end once and for all…?

Without thinking, the brunette flung herself joyfully at the man; her arms wrapping tightly around Black-san's waist as happy tears escaped her eyes. The Joker stumbled backwards in confusion, glaring in outrage at the girl clinging to him.

"Thank you so much!" she cried, hugging herself to him tightly. "Everyone can go back to normal! This can all end! Thank you, Black-san!"

"Gah! Get the f*** off, you f******* slut! Do you grope _every_ man that makes you happy?" Black Joker shot, but Alice smiled, ignoring his words but complying with his request as she quickly let go.

"Thank you, Black-san." the brunette stated sincerely, her mind already racing to how wonderful it would be when she _wasn't _running for her life from strange monsters that either wanted her dead or in bed.

Black Joker turned away, glaring at nothing in particular and Alice giggled. Her excitement was short lived, though, when Black asked, "Where's the key?"

Instinctively, Alice reached down in the small pocket almost hidden on the dress, only to have her eyes widen frightfully when she felt nothing. Frantically, she turned towards the pocket, widening it widely so she could peer inside. To her horror, it was empty.

Black noticed her expression, and with a suspicious scowl, he asked through clenched teeth, "What's the matter?"

Alice paled, her hands beginning to shake as she stared numbly at her empty pocket. She was _sure_ she'd placed the key in there for safekeeping! Where could it have gone?

"The… key…" Her voice was as numb as her body, all hope and excitement drained. "It's… gone…"

Black Joker's face seemed to turn cherry red with anger, his hand lifted high in the air and coming in violent contact with the foreigner in front of him. A large red stain lit up the side of her face as Alice fell to the ground, but she was too numb and heartbroken to notice. Curses and insults ran wildly from his tongue, stinging harder than the actual slap. Her blue eyes were locked with the empty pocket; the fabric seemed to mock her.

_Wait a minute._ the brunette thought to herself, regaining some of the feeling in her body and recalling the faint memory from the Hatter mansion. _The only other place we went to was Blood's… so it has to be there!_

"Black-san," Alice interrupted the prison guard from his rampage. "I think-"

"I think the noise came from here!" An all too familiar voice called out, causing Alice to freeze in place; a shiver shaking her fragile frame. Soon enough, Ace popped out from the bushes, his crimson eyes glancing around until he spotted the foreigner on the ground in front of Black-san. He smiled that all too creepy smile and turned behind him. "Hey, Peter! I found her!"

Sure enough, the mummified rabbit came into view, glaring once at Ace before turning to his love. Alice's blue eyes lit up with horror as she struggled to stand up and back away from him. Black-san caught her before she could fall, glaring angrily at the rabbit.

"Get the f*** out!" the Joker snapped, watching in annoyance as Ace wielded his scythe, aiming it towards the two.

"Haha! No problem! I just need to take care of something first." the knight replied, his smile never fading as he swung it towards the two. Alice flinched, but Black-san intervened. He shoved Alice roughly behind him, taking grasp of his whip and striking it at the laughing knight.

It wasn't long before the brunette was lifted from the ground by the mummified rabbit and being carried off discreetly from the two.

"Peter! Put me down! Black-san, help me, please!" Alice squealed, attempting to squirm out of his arms, but the rabbit refused; a pleasant grin on his face as he carried the outsider away.

"Sorry, my turtle dove! I can't hold back this wondrous love!" Peter sang, racing quickly towards the maze outside of the castle, surprisingly fast despite his mummified state. Alice struggled unsuccessfully in his arms, wishing for an escape.

_Please help! Somebody! Anyone- help!_ she thought to herself as the large double doors to Heart Castle came into view, and Peter's eyes lit up at the sight.

_

* * *

_

Clash!

_Snap!_

Black Joker's whip tightened around Ace's scythe, yanking it from the knight's hands. An amused smirk lit his face as the Joker tilted his head to the side. "Did you forget, b******? You're in _my_ territory."

Ace laughed a carefree laugh, shrugging. "Really? I must've gotten lost again."

The prison guard glared, picking up the knight's scythe in his hand and swinging it aimlessly as he neared the reaper. He pointed its tip to the man, his face suddenly furious.

"_We no longer require your services."_ White-san stated darkly from the mask, and Ace frowned, but didn't particularly look upset.

"Aww, really? I was kind of having fun." the knight object, but Black Joker pointed the scythe's edge against the man's neck.

"Get out of my sight, asshole." Black-san said, his tone just as cold and dark as the mask's.

"You're not going to kill now? How come?" the brunette asked, genuinely confused. "It isn't like you to just let a guy leave…"

"If you f****** want to live, I would get your ass out of here before you get lost _permanently._" the redhead threatened, and Ace held up his gloved hands in defense.

"Whatever. Alice isn't even here anymore, so there's no need to start a fight. I'm just looking for the chick." the knight replied honestly, shrugging once before slyly taking his scythe and walking off. Black Joker looked around him in confusion and anger after the knight left, only to realize his words were true; Alice was out of sight.

"F***! When'd she leave? !" Black shouted.

"_The prime minister took her while you were fighting."_ White-san explained, and Black-san's ruby eye glared at the mask.

"Why didn't you f****** tell me? !" the Joker demanded, and White remained quiet. "Tch. Fine. Keep quiet, you ass. I'll get her."

"_Hmm… Perhaps you _are_ in love, Black. I don't ever recall you willing to rescue a damsel in distress so easily." _the mask said, chuckling darkly.

"SHUT THE F*** UP, YOU B******! I''M NOT IN LOVE- I HATE THAT F****** W****! DIDN'T YOU HEAR A WORD I SAID EARLIER?" the prison guard barked, quickly loosening the belt from his waist and tossing it angrily on the ground. "I DON'T NEED YOUR F****** HELP, I CAN GET HER MYSELF."

White-san watched with amusement from the mask as Black Joker stormed in fury away, his hands balled into tight fists at his sides as he walked off into the distance towards Heart Castle.

"_Just be careful, Joker. You aren't the only one interested in her."_

* * *

…**Written while listening to Disney music (Specifically Tarzan). XD Damn, I love those movies~ Never too old for Disney, that's for sure. **

**Black's a softie! *poke poke* Sure, he's no prince in shining armor, but he certainly can beat one. ;3 If you're wondering what White-san meant by not needing Ace's services anymore, I was told that in Joker, Ace also worked under the Jokers. O_o He has like, a multiple job personality, doesn't he? XD Vivaldi should be in the next chapter, so you can finally see what she is! There's only about 2-3 more chapters left in this, but the GOOD NEWS is that there's gonna be sequels! 8D**

**The next sequel? *drum roll*The Game of Mistletoe! Yay! 8D Be prepared to see some Christmas wishes come true~. ;3**

**See you guys in the next chapter~!**


	10. The Evil Little Mermaid

**10. The Evil Little Mermaid**

Two faceless guards held the doors open for Peter nervously, watching the rabbit gleefully carry the protesting girl in his arms down the hallways of Heart Castle and towards his room.

"Peter! Put me down, now!" Alice ordered, frustrated as the man ignored her requests, gently kicking his bedroom door open and stepping inside, jumping down from the platform into the actual room instead of climbing down the ladder in front.

Finally, Peter set the girl on her feet in the middle of the room; rushing towards the door so he could shut and bolt it tight.

The brunette watched him worriedly, quietly walking away in search for an exit, though her only option was either the door or a small glass window that she knew for sure she wouldn't fit through.

The rabbit-eared man smiled widely, carelessly hopping down from the platform and making his way to the girl; a gloved hand outstretched her caress her cheek. Alice glared.

"Peter. Unlock the door and let me leave. Now." she instructed, but Peter ignored her; his fingers brushing against her cheek softly while his other hand stretched around her waist, pulling her against him securely. Alice glared heatedly, winding her fist back to falcon punch him across the face. However, the hand he used to caress her caught her fist, gripping her hand tightly in his. Peter frowned.

"Alice…" he murmured, tightening his grip on her hand and waist, pressing her body against his. The outsider flushed, her teeth grinding furiously.

"You're always telling me you love me." the reminded him as the silver-haired man bent his head down to kiss her forehead.

"I do love you." he whispered against her skin, his lips trailing down to her cheek.

"If you _really_ loved me, you'd stop!" Alice squeaked, his kisses reaching to her jaw and moving down her neck. The brunette struggled uselessly, already knowing her attempts were in vain. Peter was strong; that was one thing she couldn't deny. Of course, in his mummified state, it was harder for him to stay together.

"I can't stand to see you with another." Peter growled at her neck, his eyebrows pushing together; pained. "I only want you to be with me. If this is the only way, then let it be."

Alice opened her mouth to object, but Peter's lips were already on hers; one hand tangled tightly in her hair to secure her face against his. His crimson eyes stared intently at her face as he continued; the brunette squeezing her eyes shut and complaints muffled out from around his lips. He tasted _dead_. The foul taste of a corpse invaded her mouth. It made her nauseous just thinking about it. She had to struggle from throwing up in his mouth.

Finally, the rabbit pulled away for air, and Alice took the chance to punch him swiftly across the face. To her surprise, Peter's head rolled _off_ of his body and towards the bed. The body, however, stumbled around in confusion; refusing to fall. She could feel her stomach doing flips.

Gaining as much courage as she could muster, Alice kicked the body over; one leg falling off in the process.

"Alice!" Peter's head whined from the bed, trying to roll unsuccessfully towards his body on the other side of the room. Glaring at the body, he demanded, "Get up! I'm over here!"

The body did as told, struggling without its leg. Alice gulped.

"Alice, don't leave, my dear! I'll be devastated without you here!" the head cried desperately, but the brunette was already climbing up the ladder and struggling to unbolt the door. How had he _locked_ this thing? It felt like it was rusted into the door!

Peter continued to guide his body towards him, but by the time he'd regained his head, Alice was already out of the room and rushing wildly through the castle, desperately praying she wouldn't run into Ace. That was the _last_ thing she needed.

"Alice! Alice my sweetheart! Please come back! I can't bear us being apart!" she could hear Peter call from behind, and the brunette glanced behind to see Peter fixing his leg back onto his body, wobbling forward with an outstretched hand. She ran faster.

Turning a corner, Alice ran into a faceless guard who quickly caught the flailing foreigner before either could fall.

"Are you alright miss?" he asked, and Alice nodded, quickly breaking free from his grasp.

"I need to leave!" she explained, but the guard caught her by the wrist.

"Actually, her majesty requested we bring you to her." the card objected, and Alice shook her head in objection.

"Leave a rain check! I have to go!" she cried, but not before she saw a pair of bunny ears come into sight. She watched in horror as she spotted Peter searching frantically for her at the end of the all, and quickly allowed the guard to lead her towards the queen.

Alice wasn't sure what to expect from Vivaldi, or even expect her to be. What kind of horrid creature would the Queen of Hearts become?

The faceless worker led her into the throne room, quietly walking out and shutting the door behind him. Alice stared nervously as her blue eyes lifted to where the queen was supposed to be. However, a large clear tank sat in her place; a water filter hooked up to it, and a young woman with wavy purple hair covering her chest and red fins sat inside. Her expression was bored at first, but at the sight of the foreigner, she smirked.

"Good afternoon, Alice." the mermaid greeted, and Alice recognized her at once.

"Vivaldi…?" Alice said hesitantly, taking a cautious step backwards, but feeling stupid for doing so. What could Vivaldi do to her from that tank? Nothing! This just might be the best monster she'd come across.

The queen nodded, smiling softly. "A surprise, is it not? We certainly didn't expect to have changed so suddenly. It was such a bother to get the tank, but well worth it, wouldn't you agree?"

"Erm, yeah." Alice agreed, unsure of really what to say.

"Hmm. Well, our conversation has appeared to have dropped." Vivaldi noted, frowning a little. "Time to end this, We suppose."

"E-end what?" Alice was nervous now, small drops of sweat beginning to form on her forehead as she took several steps backwards until she was at the door once again.

"OFF WITH HER HEAD!" Vivaldi shrieked to her guards, pointing at the foreigner. The cards quickly pulled up their weapons, and Alice dove out of the doors, ignoring the fact that she'd also gained Peter's attention.

The guards along with Peter chased after the girl, only a yard or so behind as the foreigner struggled for an escape. Damn. Where were the Jokers in situations like these? They'd promised to help her!

Alice ran another corner, prepared to run upstairs, but a hand roughly grasped her wrist and pulled her off to the side. A squeal escaped her throat, but another hand was clamped over her mouth as she was hidden in the shadows in a compartment beneath the staircase; her body forced to lean against a dark figure next to her.

"Shut the f*** up or they'll hear you!" a familiar voice hissed, and Alice stopped her struggles and sighed in relief. Black Joker.

Several loud footsteps followed afterwards- Alice tensing at the noise- and raced above them and up the stairs. Once the clatters of shoes and weaponry stopped, Alice sighed, and Black released her mouth.

"Why the f*** do you keep getting into trouble?" the Joker growled in annoyance. "You're not a f****** princess, bitch, so stop acting like one. I'm not going to f****** come to your aid every time you need it."

"Okay, okay, I'm sorry." Alice apologized, tired of his ranting. Joker grunted in irritation, and Alice sighed. "It's not like I _asked_ for this, though."

"Well neither did I." he snapped, and Alice half-expected a comment from White-san, but instead raised an eyebrow when she noticed Black was missing his belt.

"Why aren't you wearing your belt?" the brunette asked, and Black glared, his teeth clenched.

"None of your f****** business." he growled, and stretched out uncomfortably in the small area. "Now get comfortable, bitch. Because of you, we'll have to stay here for a while."

"How come?" Alice questioned, frowning.

"You really _are_ an idiot." Black muttered, more to himself than to her, but spoke up. "With the guards running around, it'll be more trouble leaving now than it'll be at night when everyone's asleep. Now f****** listen to me and get comfortable." Alice sighed, frowning at the man.

"But you're taking up all the room." she objected, squeezing herself into a fetal position in a small corner across from the man.

"Tch. To f****** bad." he growled, but a smirk slid across his face, worrying the foreigner.

"What are you thinking of?" she demanded, even more uncomfortable than before.

"Nothing, w****." he replied, but the smirk never left. If anything, the demonic glint in his eye proved otherwise.

"Don't even think of trying anything." Alice warned, shrinking back against the wall. "So help me, Black…"

Black Joker didn't reply; just grinned in an amusement that concerned the brunette before slinking back against the wall, his single eye closing as he prepared to drift back to sleep.

**

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Okay, I think I've given enough Joker x Alice in the previous chapters to skip any _big_ touchy moments in this one and the next few. XD I mean, I still need to save some moments for the next stories! We can't have them click so easily in this if we still have more to go, now can we?

**I'm having mixed emotions for the end of this. I'm REALLY sad that this is going to end since I love writing this story, but I'm also REALLY excited for an ending I want to put on the following sequel. 8D Decisions, decisions. DX**

**I hope you guys are liking this story so far despite my fan service overboard. ^w^;; I'll try to work on that. I've been rereading the manga (Not that I don't read it enough already… ^w^;;) just to make sure I'm getting these personalities right, though it isn't help too much with Gray, Pierce, and the Jokers. *sigh* Oh well; I'm trying!**

**As for Vivaldi being a siren… It was that or a witch. ._. There needs to be more female monsters.**

**Now that I think about it, we have about 2-3 more chapters left. Alice and Black still need to get that key, and then the aftermath of it all. 8D Alice promised anything~! Kuh kuh kuh...**


	11. They Scare More Than Just Crows

**11. They Scare More than Just Crows**

The once bright and not-so-cheerful morning skies over Heart Castle grew black with the dusk rolling in, and the faceless servants lessened and lessened as they walked towards their rooms; guards lazily sleeping on the job with the Queen and other role holders asleep in their own bedrooms. "The hunt for Alice would be put off until the following morning," so said the queen before she'd fallen into a slumber herself.

Alice had also fallen asleep; curled up uncomfortable in a fetal position under the small crawlspace beneath the staircase; her head resting against the cold walls around her, the autumn chill making itself known. Gradually, the cold began to feel stronger and soon awoke the young miss from her slumber.

"Ugh." Alice groaned, her muscles aching from the tight position. She carefully rose a hand to her head, attempting to rid herself of a headache threatening to form. She was cautious when spreading her legs out so as not to kick and awake Black, but it wasn't long until she felt space in the area she was in. "Black? You there?"

No reply came, and Alice leaned over, feeling the ground where her partner had previously been sleeping away. To her suspicions and worry, he was gone.

"Crap!" she cried in a hushed whisper, blindly feeling around the space as if he was hiding, only to have her hand slap roughly against the tiled floor. "Where'd he go now? !"

Cautiously, Alice peeked out from the shadows, glancing around the darkened hallway. It was empty- much to her luck- and the brunette cautiously crawled out, her eyes scanning the area for the Joker.

Standing up, she brushed invisible specs of dust from her black gown and glared ahead; her footsteps silent against the floor as she searched for her partner.

_I could kill him. _she thought seriously. _I could strangle him. Drown him, hang him, anything! Why does he _always_ do this to me? He could at least wake me up and told me he was leaving! He's such a pain to keep up with!_

As she walked blindly through the castle, Alice couldn't help but feel as if she was being watched. Every few minutes she would throw her head over her shoulder, looking around for the source, but finding no one.

_I'm probably being paranoid._ she thought, sighing once as she found herself in front of the kitchen. Quietly, she peeked in the darkened room and her stomach growled. She moaned.

"That's right." she reminded herself softly, carelessly walking into the kitchen and making her way to the fridge. "I haven't eaten in so long…" Her stomach growled again, suddenly reminding her of one of the few necessities of life; food. She patted her belly as if to comfort it, and opened the fridge door. Normally she wouldn't be so rude to go through another person's fridge, but if she didn't get food soon, Alice was sure she wouldn't be able to stop thinking about it.

_I'll just make a sandwich. I wouldn't want to make anything major._ she decided, carefully pulling out some cheese and lettuce before shutting the appliance door softly and grabbing some bread on the island in the middle of the room. Once her meal was made, she took a bite, savoring the sweet taste.

As she continued to eat, Alice felt that strange sense she was being watched once again. She tried to ignore it, hoping to finish her sandwich already and leave the castle- with or without Black. Though, she couldn't control the way her nerves hitched as she sense became stronger, and she was almost sweating with fear.

Once the food was gone, Alice froze, afraid if she made any sudden movements the thing watching her would attack.

_You're being stupid!_ she thought to herself, taking in a deep breath and preparing to leave. _There's nothing there!_

Without so much as a warning, she felt a hand roughly grasp around her chest while another clamped over her mouth; squeals and cries muffled from her mouth. A dark chuckle arose from behind her, and Alice halted her squeals. Instead, her face flushed red and her hands balled into tight fists at her side as the hand on her mouth dropped and a face appeared over her shoulder.

"Scared, slut? I thought you liked guys messing with you." The Joker taunted, and Alice roughly removed his hand from her chest; crossing her arms firmly in front of herself as she took several steps back, glaring into him.

"You're such a jerk!" she seethed, her blue eyes darting around for something to hit him with. That butcher knife left on the island was looking pretty fun to use right now…

"And you're a f****** slut. We've covered that." Black shot back, and Alice huffed, her fist twitching and her eyes locked on the butcher knife. If only she could slip past him to grab it…

"Today's the last day." Black stated, his expression suddenly serious and catching her attention.

"I know." the brunette murmured, frowning. She _had_ to get that key. She had no other choice. As she contemplated this, Black Joker neared her, a smirk on his face.

"You know," he suggested with a demonic glint in his eye, reaching for the hem of her dress. "We could end this game the _other_ way…"

Without hesitation, Alice socked him violently in the gut, causing the man to stumble backwards in surprise. He bent over quickly, his arms wrapped around his stomach as if to heal it. She stared at him blankly before swiftly walking away, making sure she was close enough to the butcher knife if she needed it.

"Or not." she deadpanned, and Black-san glared at her; his ruby eye furious.

"I was f****** kidding, you f****** bitchy ass w****." he spat, and Alice sighed in annoyance. "Are you on your f****** period or something?" She glared.

"I'm pretty sure I know where the key is." she said, changing the subject.

"Why didn't you f****** say that earlier?" he growled, standing up now but one hand still at his stomach as if to prepare for another punch. "Damn f*** up."

"Look, are we going to get the key or what?" Alice finally demanded, fed up. She just wanted this to _end_ already!

Black Joker huffed. "Tch. Fine. Let's go."

* * *

The Hatter Mansion looked dark and gloomy under the thin strip of moonlight; the poles where the scarecrows for gatekeepers left alone and eerie, while lights remained off in the midst of the night. A chill ran up the foreigner's spine, and she shuddered, making her way to the hole under the gate. She and Black took their time now that the scarecrows were gone, and searched for an open window.

"Do you think they might have left the front door unlocked?" Alice suggested in a soft whisper, and Black shook his head.

"Of course not, stupid." he replied, his wine red eye catching sight of a crack in one of the many glass structures. He waved her over, already wedging it open and diving inside. The foreigner struggled, but also fell into the room.

Of course, she wished she hadn't.

Alice had to clamp a tight hand over her mouth so she wouldn't scream, talk, or even _breathe_. Any sudden movement was sure to awake the scarecrows lying in the large red and blue bed before them. She glanced over at Black-san who was carefully shutting the window so the breeze wouldn't awake them, and tiptoeing towards the door. Alice followed behind, praying she didn't knock on any stray weapons lying around.

The twins looked so odd in bed; their button eyes staring lifelessly at the two, but their straw-filled bodies heaving slowly up and down like sleeping children. Their mouths were sewn on with yarn, so they could not speak or breath. The several weapons and darkened scenery seemed to only frighten Alice more.

Black Joker gently pushed the door open, a loud squeak echoing around them. The scarecrows shot up, and Joker took the outsider's wrist tightly in his grasp; yanking her away from the room and across the hall, both hiding once again in a crawlspace in the corner of the room. A small hole provided enough sight to see the scarecrows wobble in with weapons at their sides; their legs barely able to carry them.

The Dee scarecrow pointed to the closet, and the Dum scarecrow nodded, moving his attention to a nearby desk. Both pranced about the room- their movements so unnatural that it frightened the foreigner to a point of nausea- and searched under couches and behind bookcases for tight squeezes. Eventually giving up, the twins shrugged, wobbling back to their room and shutting the door slowly behind; their button eyes staring blankly at the crawlspace as if they knew where the two were hiding before the door finally shut and they returned to their sleep.

Alice sighed in relief, and Black did as well; shoving the small door open and crawling out with the foreigner. They both tiptoed back to the hallway, their eyes locked on the floors the entire time in case they saw the key, which unfortunately, they didn't.

"You're _sure_ you dropped it here?" Black Joker assured, eyeing the foreigner suspiciously. She nodded.

"It's the only place I can think of." she answered honestly, trying to think of what had happened there. They'd already passed where Elliot had assaulted her, so the only place left was… She gulped. Blood's room. She _really_ wasn't looking forward to going there.

"Y-you know, maybe I could go to the box and you can get the key." Alice suggested warily, and Joker glared. "I'm pretty sure it's in Blood's room, so if you'll excuse me-"

"Hell no." Joker interrupted, roughly grabbing her arm and literally dragging her upstairs toward the older members' bedrooms and the guest rooms. "You dropped it here so _you're_ going to find it."

Alice whimpered a little, shaking her head. "N-no, really, I can go to the box!"

Black Joker ignored her, roughly shoving her in front of the vampire's bedroom. Alice shuddered, hesitating for the knob. She didn't want to go in. Not at _all._

Taking in a deep breath- and saying her last prayers- Alice shoved open the door.

**

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Okay, before you complain that the kitchen scene is a Joker x Alice moment, I'd like to object to that notion. I think Black-san is just being an ass. XD I didn't mean for it to be an "aww" moment or anything; I didn't even realize it could be interpreted like that until I reread it. DX I didn't wanna take it out, because it took a while to write, so oh well~!

**Only two more chapters left! *le gasp!* Can you believe it? I can't! So much to take care of, so little time~!**

**Unfortunately, I might not be able to put chapters up as fast as I have been since school is finally deciding to be a bitch and drag me down to the very depths of hell with homework and assignments. DX Well I'm not goin'! *pulls out magic word processor/wand* BRING IT! XD**

**Well, see you later~!**


	12. Thriller Night

**12. Thriller Night**

The bedroom was dark, just as the rest of the house. Alice was cautious when stepping in; holding her breath and scanning the area suspiciously for the sight of the vampire. It was nighttime, so Blood was sure to be awake. Where he was, though, she was clueless.

As she continued into the room, the brunette felt something brush against her foot. Warily, she glanced on the floor and sure enough, the spade key sat on the plush carpet; its blue metal glinting from the thin slims of moonlight shining in from the windows.

Alice grinned, picking up the key and clutching it tightly in her hands. She turned to Black excitedly, whispering, "Got it."

"Do you, now?" a voice whispered from behind, and Alice froze. She could feel the figure's hot breath on her neck, and two hands slink themselves onto her shoulders. Cautiously, she turned towards none other than Blood Dupre. Her blue orbs widened, and she felt her nerves taking over. The vampire grinned, his pointed fangs sliding halfway to his chin. "Are you scared, young miss?"

"N-no." she lied, trying to step away, but the caped man held her firmly in place; his fangs almost touching her neck.

"You ran out so quickly last time, I didn't get to have a taste. That's rude." Blood whispered against her skin, his mouth widening, prepared to take a bite.

"Back off, b******." Black-san spoke up from the doorway, his whip aimed at the man. Blood smirked, lifting his head from the brunette to watch the Joker in amusement.

"You, again?" The Hatter taunted, the smirk growing deadly. "Surprising to see you here. Shouldn't you be caring for inmates?"

"Tch." Black growled, his whip flying; almost hitting Alice.

"Now now, we mustn't hit the young lady." Blood said, watching the weapon aim for him again. He stroked Alice's cheek, grinning widely at the Joker. "You might hurt her."

He pulled out a gun then, aiming it towards the Joker. What he didn't expect, though, was for Alice to violently shove his armed hand away and rush towards Black-san; grabbing his hand tightly in hers and dash out into the hallway.

"Tch. Princess is playing hero, now?" Black taunted, following the girl as she searched for the basement. She ignored him.

The brunette turned yet another corner, only to come to a sudden halt. Elliot and the Bloody Twins stood down the hallway; Elliot's ears twitching and the twins' axes raised. Alice spun around to go in another direction, but Blood was already behind them; a deadly glare in his coal eyes, and a smirk sketched on his face. They were trapped.

"Nice going, bitch." Black-san muttered, and Alice glared at him. He wasn't helping.

"Alice…" The were-rabbit murmured with a soft smile on his face, taking a step near the girl. Alice remained still.

The scarecrows' heads wobbled back and forth, their axes swinging playfully at their sides. She could tell just by their movements that they wanted nothing more than to shove their weapons into her.

"It appears the young lady can't decide what to do." Blood teased from behind, taking a step forward; a hand outstretched. "She's cornered."

Alice remained frozen for a moment; a glare dancing between the gatekeepers, Elliot, and Blood. She had one chance; that was all she had. If she couldn't do it, then all hope was lost.

_Here goes nothing._ she thought, surprising Black-san and the others by charging at full speed towards Blood. The vampire's eyes clicked between blue, crimson, and black, but Alice ignored it. His arms were spread open for the girl, but Alice kept going. Instead of an embrace, she roughly punched the man in the stomach; kicking him once in his crotch as fast as she could before continuing down the hallway, literally running for her life. Black Joker followed quickly behind, staring at her in surprise.

"When'd you grow a spine?" His tone was meant to be cruel, but it came out more puzzling. Alice didn't reply; her turquoise eyes staring ahead in determination as she reached the staircase. She could hear footsteps far behind her, but they went ignored to her.

She paused at the top of the stairs, a frustrated sigh escaping her throat as Peter White and Ace stood at the bottom; surprising her. What were _they_ doing there?

"I knew I'd find you, Alice! That's why I followed you from the palace!" Peter sang, his crimson eyes dancing lovingly as the brunette grimaced.

"I just came to finish up business." Ace said with a laugh, his scythe hung over his shoulder.

"Tch. We don't have time for this!" Black-san snapped angrily, fed up as he picked up Alice roughly and set her on the banister behind him; forcing her arms around his torso as he slid slickly down. Alice let out a nervous squeak as she flew down the staircase, her blue eyes wide with fright.

Black-san jumped off first, kicking over the love struck rabbit easily. Ace laughed at the prime minister briefly before catching Alice in his arms bridal style.

"You're making my job pretty easy." Ace said, his smile creeping both of them out as he raised his scythe to the girl. Angrily, Alice struggled in his arms; eventually resorting to giving him a quick punch under the chin so he would let go.

"Nice shot." Black muttered, watching Alice bound toward him before returning his attention to the dismembered Peter on the floor.

"Alice~!" the head whined, several feet away from his legs and arms. The main torso struggled to reach the body parts while his arms crawled back to it. The sight made Alice sick.

Ace rubbed his chin, pouting. "Hey, that wasn't nice. I thought you were a lady, Alice."

The brunette glared, hands balled into fists at her sides. Joker grabbed her wrist and dragged her towards the knight; smacking the grim reaper across the face with his whip before continuing across the hall towards the basement door. They could hear the mafia catching up, along with the residents of Heart Castle.

Not willing to waste any time, Joker kicked the door open- the wood breaking as he did so- and threw the foreigner down the stairs. Alice screamed, catching onto the banister before she broke a bone. Black shoved her back angrily, forcing her quickly down the wobbling steps and down a long, narrow tunnel that connected to several others.

"This way." The Joker muttered when Alice began to stray, leading the way. They could hear several footsteps behind them, but they ignored them.

The couple were once again taken aback by a blue-themed trio ahead. Nightmare floated to the side; a satisfied smirk on his face as he took sight of the brunette. Julius smiled a little, his blue skin seeming to rot on his body. A foul stench eroded from him, and Alice felt nauseous again. Gray stood off to the side; his topaz eyes dancing and his black tail wagging excitedly, almost resembling that of a dog's. The seductive grin on his face sent shivers and reminders down her spine.

"Alice! It's been too long!" Nightmare whined, floating through Black to get to the girl; his smile kind, but the strong aura of danger around him seemed more important. She took a step back. The ghost pouted, but leaned forward to caress her face. His touch was cold; colder than the winters at Clover tower. She waved it away.

Black Joker was already working on the other two; Julius on the ground, dismembered as Peter had been, except more bloody. His body parts also crawled back together, and Alice almost threw up. Gray was also bleeding, but hissing violently at the Joker; a tongue that belonged to a lizard flicking out of his mouth at the man.

"Alice?" Nightmare said, his tone sad as he attempted to caress her face again. The brunette ignored him- bravely rushing through his near freezing form- and heading to Black-san's side. The incubus looked heartbroken, but floated after her nonetheless.

"Run." Black instructed, and Alice swore this was about the hundredth time he grabbed her wrist and yanked her somewhere. She felt a sharp tug at her ankle, and frowned at it. Gray's hand was wrapped securely around her ankle, grinning up at her.

"You know how to get me to let go." he whispered seductively, and Alice blushed. Shaking her head, the foreigner, kicked him away, following the prison guard down the tunnel. More footsteps followed, and Alice had trouble ignoring them. They seemed to grow louder with each step, and it wasn't long before she could hear them calling her name.

Black Joker pulled her around another corner, and she saw a short metal box sitting in the middle of the floor. It was black, with blue spades drawn around and on top of the structure. A small keyhole sat patiently, just waiting for her.

"Yes!" Alice heard herself cry excitedly, rushing past the Joker and holding out the key; prepared to dig it in and end all of this.

Like so many other times, her moment of joy was cut short.

Boris and Pierce stepped out from the sides; Boris's black hair swaying with his movements, and Pierce's dragon tail twisting and churning unsurely. On the side floated Gowland, but Alice disregarded him, as did the others. Her real worry were the two teenage boys in front of her.

"Alice~." Boris stretched out her name, his grin as wide as the Cheshire Cat's could get. His topaz eyes wickedly viewed over her body, and Alice shuddered.

"Alice." Pierce stated her name as well; a blush swept across his cheeks and his emerald eye staring at her in both a mixture of worry and need. Gowland squeaked something from the corner, but went unheard to the others.

"Back of, mousey. She's mine." the black cat snapped, quickly slipping to her side; slyly wrapping an arm around her waist. Pierce quivered for a moment, but also sauntered up to her; gripping her hand in his.

"N-no. I want her." the dragon-mouse bravely said, his scaly palms clutching Alice's hand tighter.

"Don't _I_ get a choice?" Alice objected, trying to pry them away. Black huffed behind her, all eyes turning to him.

"F****** parasites." he grumbled, yanking roughly at the boys' hair and yanking them off of her.

"Get the hell off!" Boris shouted, and Pierce was squeaking wildly; nearly in tears from the pain.

"Don't eat me, chu!" the dragon-mouse cried, and Black growled, tossing the two roughly on the concrete floor.

"Bunch of f****** brats." he snarled at the teens, nodding for Alice to go to the box. Black-san lifted his whip at the two, roughly smacking an already cringing Pierce across the arm. Boris glared up at the man, quickly jumping to his feet and racing towards Alice.

The brunette felt somebody press against her back, and glared at Boris. "Let go, Boris! I don't have time for this!" The footsteps of the mafia and residents of other territories echoed across the very hall, and she could make out several shouts for her; some angered, some hurt, and others love struck.

The feline slid his arms around her body, clutching her against him tightly as he kissed her shoulder. Alice really didn't want to hit him- after all, he was a friend- but she found no other choice. Fiercely, she spun around so the front of her body was pressed against the pleased cat, and with all her power, falcon punched him across the face.

Boris stumbled backwards in confusion and pain, cradling his red face in his hands. He looked hurt, but Alice didn't spend too much time paying attention. Instead, she turned towards the box- flicking a pesky Gowland away from her hair that he insisted on tugging on to get her attention as she did so- and held the key out.

The last thing Alice saw before unlocking the box was quite a sight. The mafia had guns and axes either aimed at her or each other. Peter was launching himself at her, and Ace doing the same- except, a scythe aimed at her head. Julius and Gray were ready to kill each other, while Nightmare was floating towards her; his expression both seductive and relieved. Pierce was teary-eyed on the ground, while Boris was trying to reach a hand out towards the girl. Gowland was flying around, squeaking in Blood's ear angrily- obviously his hatred for the vampire was more deep than any lust or death the game forced on him.

None of these details held her attention for long, though. The last thing she recalled was Black Joker standing in the midst of it all; his whip aimed at the crowd, and his expression pained as he stared at the foreigner. She didn't understand his sadness; shouldn't he be glad? Either way, his ruby eye stared sadly at her before a bright light blinded the crew and washed the scene away.

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Yeah, I know. I got lazy on the confrontations. DX I probably went a little OOC, but whatever. Black really likes dragging Alice around, doesn't he? XD

**One chapter left~! What do YOU think will happen? ;D**


	13. Happy Halloween!

**13. Happy Halloween!**

After the bright light had vanished, Alice kept her eyes closed, just waiting for something to happen. It wasn't until she heard several moans and groans that she peeked her eye open, sighing in relief.

Almost all of the role holders seemed to be waking up from their spots on the basement floor; reaching for their aching heads. Several still looked as if they were monsters, and she found her heartbeat racing wildly until Julius disgustedly rubbed off blue make-up from his skin and tore at fake wounds while Boris ran a hand through his black locks, the ink easily wiping off. Costumes; the creatures were all just costumes now.

"Vhat?" Blood tried to speak around plastic fangs in his mouth, quickly taking them out and glaring at them.

Elliot wrinkled his nose as he took out his own set of fangs and easily brushed the fur off his face and hands. The once twin scarecrows were now children again, trying their best to tug out pieces of straw stuck in their hair. Peter glared angrily at the toilet paper wrapped around himself, and Ace frowned at his plastic scythe. Gray and Pierce yanked off their plastic tails, and Gowland- now at normal height- blushed angrily at his yellow dress attire. Everyone was back to normal; there was no doubting Alice's mind.

Quickly, she glanced about, searching for Black Joker, only to fall short when she spotted White-san brushing off specs of dirt that had caught on his outfit. That's right; it was back to White Joker again.

Once they'd finished with their costumes, eyes turned to Alice- many men blushing in shame or embarrassment while others looked amused.

"Hehe." Boris laughed awkwardly, scratching the back of his now pink hair; a few more black drops falling onto the floor. "Uh… Yeah…. About that…"

"You're not mad, are you, Alice?" Pierce asked, his emerald orb wide with worry.

"W-we didn't mean it!" Elliot chimed in, his face flushed with embarrassment as he remembered his assault on the girl. "We- we couldn't control ourselves!"

"Yeah! We wouldn't wanna hurt Oneechan!" Dee and Dum insisted, immediately latching onto her arms. Alice smiled uncomfortably at them.

"It's fine, really." she replied, also reddening herself. She really just wanted to _forget_ this whole thing. "It's not your fault."

Several sighed in relief, but a few faces were still red. Gray smirked at Nightmare, and the incubus cringed; his hands grasping at his face in horror.

"GRAY!" the incubus whined, disgusted. "I DON'T need those thoughts!" The assistant snickered, earning a few glares- including from the foreigner.

Julius coughed uncomfortably, crossing his arms in front of his chest. "I feel I should apologize as well." His voice was quiet, almost a mumble.

"I as well!" Peter sang, his crimson eyes pleading as he clasped his hands together, quickly turning into his rabbit form to convince her forgiveness. "You must have been through hell!"

"Heh. Something like that." the brunette mumbled, patting the bloody twins' heads so they would let go.

"I'm not sorry." Ace said cheerily. "That was fun." Several glares turned on him, but that goofy smile never left his face.

"Why am I not surprised?" Alice deadpanned, quickly searching for the Joker. "Wait, where did White-san go?"

"Him?" Blood raised an eyebrow at the foreigner. "He left a while ago." Alice sighed unhappily. She wanted to thank him and Black for their help.

"That reminds me, brother." Dee cut in to Dum, tilting his head to the side.

"Why _were_ you with the Jokers?" Dum finished, turning up to Alice. The brunette was quick to grow uncomfortable under the gaze of the role holders, all asking the same question.

"Well, um… That's kind of a long story…" Alice replied, shrugging once.

Blood smirked. "We have time."

Alice sighed, nodding for them all to take a seat, which they did. As she told her story, there quite a few glances from one role holder to another and occasionally a question here or there. She kept out quite a few details that she knew they wouldn't want to hear, but there were always a few questions that popped up about her and the Jokers. By the time she finished, it was quiet in the room; faces red or pink, and Alice sighing with exhaustion.

There was a long, tense silence between her and the others, and before she could excuse herself, Blood turned to Gowland; a demonic grin spread across her face.

"So you were a fairy?" The Hatter started, eyeing the man's yellow gown. "How stupid. It seems to all stem from your idiotic name, Mary-go-round."

The amusement park owner twitched, his teeth grinding angrily. "Shut up."

"Is there a problem, Mary?" Blood taunted, and Alice and several others took this opportunity to leave before a fight began; leaving behind Boris, Pierce, Elliot, and the twins to break it up.

* * *

Alice awoke a few hours later in the afternoon of All Hallow's Eve; pulling on one of her blue dresses that she missed so much and skipping down the stairs of Clover Tower into the office where Julius sat with a hot mug of coffee.

"I'm going to go to the Jokers' now, okay?" the brunette said simply, having already separately explained to Julius her deal with them. The navy-haired man narrowed his eyes.

"Are you sure you want to go alone? I'm willing to take you." he suggested, a light pink coming onto his cheeks as he sipped from his coffee mug. "I don't have any clocks to fix at the moment…"

"No, it's okay. I wanted to thank them anyways." Alice replied kindly, smiling at the man before continuing to the door. However, she paused, turning around with a dead serious expression. "If I'm not back in two days, you'll come get me, right?"

He nodded, and Alice sighed in relief; the smile returning to her face.

"Thanks, Julius."

* * *

Alice found herself feeling familiar and safe as she wandered around Joker Forest, growing accustomed to the strange signs and colors around her. It wasn't long before she was at the circus; a kind smile on her face as jester children rushed past her.

"Trick or treat." A familiar voice came from behind her, and Alice jumped, whipping around to face White Joker; a grin on his face as he spotted the foreigner. Alice laughed once; a low, humorless laugh.

"I think I've gotten enough tricks for one holiday." she replied with a half-hearted smile.

"_Happy Halloween."_ Another voice said from a small mask on White's belt, and Alice smiled.

"Glad to see your belt is back." The foreigner commented, tilting her head at the belt. "I was wondering what happened to it."

White smiled, seeming to hold a hidden truth beneath his eyes but refusing to speak of it out loud.

"So, um, can we talk in the prison?" Alice questioned, returning her attention to the jester. "I kind of wanted to talk to you both in person."

White raised an eyebrow, but nodded; the scenery around them quickly melting into the cold prison walls and Black Joker leaning against an empty prison cell. He didn't particularly look at the outsider; just glared at nothing. White, on the other hand, held is attention on the girl.

"I wanted to thank you both for your help." the brunette started, smiling sincerely at them. "If it wasn't for you guys, I wouldn't have been able to get through that. And Black-" Black-san turned his attention to the foreigner now, his wine red eye narrowing at her suspiciously. "-I'm really grateful for all that you've done. I know it was probably hell putting up with me, but I wanted to especially thank you, nonetheless."

"Tch. Whatever." the prison guard mumbled, looking away. Alice smiled, taking that as a "no problem".

"Anyways, Black, I believe this young lady owes us whatever we want now, isn't that right?" White Joker suggested, catching the prison guard's attention. Black Joker grinned demonically, and Alice suddenly felt nervous.

"That's _right._ Little w**** still has to do whatever I want." Black smirked at Alice, and the brunette quickly shook her head.

"Nope." she disagreed, and Black stared at her; outraged. White looked at her in confusion.

"What the f*** do you mean 'no'? ! Are you f****** backing out? !" The guard seethed, and Alice flinched.

"Not in the slightest." she argued, shaking her head. "I already gave you guys whatever you wanted, remember?"

"What the f*** are you talking about?" Black spat, and White seemed equally interested.

"Don't think I forgot about you two making out with me in here a few days ago." Alice's cheeks turned red at the thought, her eyes suddenly set in a glare. "I can't really forget _that_ now can I? You used your excuse already. I don't have to do anything."

"F*** this s***! You're getting your sorry ass over here now and you'll do what the f*** I tell you!" Black Joker snapped, but Alice smirked in satisfaction, shaking her head.

"I really appreciate what you guys did, but our deal is done." Alice said with a determined nod. "I hate to leave, but I really have to get back home now. I don't want Julius worrying. I'll come visit later, though, if that's okay."

While Black Joker continued his cussing rampage, White-san sighed with a half-smile and dissolved the prison, allowing Alice to leave freely back home.

The Game of All Hallow's Eve had finally ended.

**

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HAPPY HALLOWEEN! 8D (Even though it's like, 11 days late lol). Story is over. DX *sobsobcry* I was gonna pick a different, more benefiting ending (*cough* benefiting for Black, that is*cough*) but I figured I can use that for either The Game of Joker or The Game of Doll Faces (That name will DEFINITELY be changed eventually; I don't like it DX). I already have an ending for The Game of Mistletoe all worked out, HURR HURR~! ;3

**Well, now that this story is done, I can get back to work on school so I don't whine and complain about it later. DX Love you all- hope to see you again!- and PEACE OUT! ;3**

**The Process of the last chapter of The Game of All Hallow's Eve**

**Black J: *behind me while I'm writing* WHAT THE F*** IS THIS S***? ! I DON'T SCORE AT ALL? ! I CAN'T MAKE HER DO ANYTHING? ! WHAT THE F***? !**

**Alice: *also behind me* … o_o" I'm right here, you know.**

**Me: *sigh* YOU'LL SCORE IN THE NEXT STORY, OKAY? ! NOW SHUT UP! DX I CAN'T THINK WITH YOU IN MY EAR!**

**Alice: Wait, what? O_o"**

**Black J: MAKE AN M-RATED ONE, BITCH!**

**Me: …We'll see.**

**Alice: O.O"**


End file.
